After more than five years, India and China will be able to fly directly to each other again. This is a huge step in fixing their diplomatic ties. Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, said this while meeting with Xi Jinping, the President of China, at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) conference in Tianjin.
The COVID-19 outbreak suspended direct flights between the two countries. They didn’t start up again after the border fights in 2020 that made things worse. People believe that resuming flights is a huge step toward repairing political and economic ties that have been damaged by rising trade uncertainties and geopolitical issues.
The statement suggests that things are moving forward, even if there is no set timetable for when the flights will start up again. IndiGo and other airlines have already declared they are ready to fly again, and Air India is expected to start flying these routes again as well. Air India, IndiGo, Air China, and China Southern, among others, used to offer direct flights between key cities before the suspension.
This decision comes after India recently stopped requiring visas for Chinese citizens, which is another indicator that things are getting better between the two countries. This news comes after months of modest progress on plans to resume flying again. It is meant to make it easier for two of the world’s biggest economies to do business and travel.