Air China will restart direct services between Beijing and Delhi from April 21, marking a step toward restoring air links between India and China after years of disruption caused by the Covid‑19 pandemic and border tensions. The move comes amid gradual efforts by New Delhi and Beijing to stabilise bilateral ties, with aviation seen as an early indicator of improving engagement.
Yu Jing, spokesperson at the Chinese Embassy in India, welcomed the resumption on X, calling it a signal to boost “trade, tourism and trust” and describing it as a “big green light” for people‑to‑people exchanges within multilateral frameworks such as the SCO and BRICS.
Direct flights between the two capitals had been suspended for more than four years following the pandemic and the June 2020 Galwan Valley clash, one of the deadliest confrontations along the Line of Actual Control in decades. Although services began returning in phases from October last year, full restoration of direct connectivity has been gradual. The Ministry of External Affairs had indicated in October 2025 that both sides were working toward normalising aviation links.
Bilateral relations had remained strained since 2020, affecting travel, trade and diplomacy. A notable breakthrough came in October 2024, when India and China agreed on patrolling arrangements along the Line of Actual Control—a development widely seen as easing tensions.
The relaunch of Air China’s Beijing‑Delhi route is being viewed as part of broader efforts to rebuild engagement, with improved connectivity expected to facilitate business, tourism and official exchanges between the two countries.
