New Delhi: China Southern is set to bring back its Guangzhou-New Delhi service, adding another direct link between the two countries as part of the airline’s expanding South Asia network. The move marks the latest step in a slow, six-year climb back to normalcy for India-China air travel – routes that pandemic-era shutdowns first grounded, and years of strained ties later kept dormant.
The Guangzhou-New Delhi route slots into China Southern’s expanding South Asia network, opening up another direct link between the two countries for passengers who have had few options in recent years. The airline’s return marks a small but telling step in India and China’s slow rebuilding of air links – routes that were grounded by the pandemic and then kept idle through years of strained ties between the two countries.
China’s state-run Global Times reported, in a post on X, that China Southern would operate more than 100 weekly flights across eight round-trip routes in South Asia following the restart of the Guangzhou-New Delhi service. The resumption adds to a series of recent developments aimed at restoring direct passenger connectivity between India and China.
Air India resumed direct New Delhi-China flights in February, while China Eastern Airlines restarted its Kunming-Kolkata service in April. Air China also brought back its Beijing-New Delhi operation, further expanding the number of Chinese carriers operating direct services to India.
IndiGo added another link in March by launching a daily non-stop service between Kolkata and Shanghai. The airline had earlier restored flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou and subsequently started services from Delhi, strengthening connectivity between major cities in the two countries.
The return of these services marks a significant shift in connectivity, which had been disrupted during the Covid-19 pandemic and remained limited as bilateral relations deteriorated after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash along the line of actual control (LAC).
One significant shift occurred in October 2024, when India and China signed an agreement aimed at defusing tensions along the LAC. This opened up avenues for new diplomatic efforts, followed by various steps to restart exchanges between the two nations.
Following this, the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra resumed, and both India and China have also made efforts to re-establish border trade routes between the two countries.
However, progress in bilateral relations remains slow, and the boundary issue is yet to be settled. India has repeatedly rejected Chinese claims on Arunachal Pradesh, stating that it is an “integral part of India”, while border management and maintaining peace along the LAC remain among the issues still being worked upon.
Economic linkages have also become an important area of focus, as both nations seek to address trade-related issues and increase economic engagement. Meanwhile, India remains vigilant about Chinese investments amid security-related concerns that continue to figure in the overall relationship between the two countries.
The restoration of the Guangzhou-New Delhi connection thus marks an important moment in the bilateral relationship, as air links could prove useful for business, tourism and people-to-people contacts. It is also part of a broader effort by India and China to renew ties after years of weak connectivity.