India and China have agreed to resume direct flights after a five-year suspension that followed the violent 2020 Galwan clashes, marking a cautious thaw in relations between the two Asian countries.
India's Ministry of External Affairs announced on Thursday that civil aviation authorities from both sides have finalised arrangements for flights to restart by late October 2025, in line with the winter season schedule.
The move, officials said, is part of the gradual normalisation of ties and will depend on commercial decisions of designated carriers and fulfillment of operational criteria.
Direct flights were suspended in the aftermath of the Galwan crisis and later further delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The resumption was first signalled last month during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi's visit to New Delhi.
The decision comes against the backdrop of recent confidence-building measures, including disengagement along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) at Depsang and Demchok in late 2024.
The announcement also follows Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to China a month ago — his first in seven years — for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit.
During the trip, Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed that India and China should act as development partners rather than rivals, and discussed ways to strengthen trade ties despite tariff uncertainties.
Indian officials said the restart of flights would boost people-to-people exchanges and contribute to stabilising bilateral ties.
