GUWAHATI: India and China have initiated preliminary discussions on the resumption of direct air services.
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According to reports, the development was revealed by Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam while speaking at an Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) conference on Monday, April 14. Vualnam confirmed in particular that the first round of talks has been concluded, although no timeline has been set for the restart of flights.
Vualnam further noted that some issues remain unresolved and further negotiations will be necessary. Last month, Chinese Consul General in Kolkata Xu Wei had also confirmed ongoing dialogue to re-establish flight services. In January, following the visit of Indian diplomat Vikram Misri to China, the Ministry of External Affairs stated that both sides had agreed “in principle” to resume direct flights.
Direct air connectivity between the two countries has remained suspended since early 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Before the suspension, several carriers operated direct flights between major cities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming in China and New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata in India.
Relations between the two countries also soured following the Galwan Valley clash in June 2020, which resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian soldiers and at least four Chinese personnel. The incident led to a series of retaliatory measures from India, including the ban of 59 Chinese mobile applications.