New Delhi2 minutes ago
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It has been agreed again to start a direct flight between India and China. Direct flights between the two countries can start again by the end of this month.
In 2020, this service was discontinued due to Corona epidemic. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a press release saying that a major step has been taken towards gradually normalizing India-China relations.
Air service officials of the two countries have decided after several months of technical discussion that direct air services between India and China will resume from the end of October 2025.
These flights will run according to winter time. However, it will depend on the airlines of both countries to be ready and complete all the rules.
Traveling was being done through third countries
Since the Kovid epidemic, citizens of the two countries were traveling to each other through third countries like Thailand, Singapore or Malaysia. This increased both travel time and expenses.
In recent years, India and China have taken steps to normalize their relations, especially since the beginning of 2025.
Importance of decisions …
- People’s interaction will increase: With the start of direct flights, traders, students, tourists and families of India and China will be able to travel to each other’s countries easily. This will strengthen cultural and economic relations between the two countries.
- Economic advantage: India and China are two major economies of the world. Direct flights will promote trade and investment, as traveling through third countries is a waste of time and money.
- Diplomatic importance: This step is a positive step towards reducing tension between the two countries and normalizing relationships.
There were 539 direct flights every month before Corona
Before the Korona epidemic, there used to be 539 straight flights between the two countries every month. His capacity was more than 1.25 lakh seats in total.
These flights included companies like Air India, China Southern Airlines, China Eastern Airlines.
Passengers of the two countries traveled through connecting hubs like Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore after being suspended. However, this journey was expensive.
According to Syrium, a company that gives air traffic information, the number of people traveling to India-China between January-October 2024 was 4.6 lakh.
At the same time, in the first 10 months of 2019, this figure was 10 lakhs. Between January and October 2024, Via Hong Kong 1.73 Lakh, Via Singapore 98 thousand, via Thailand 93 thousand, via Bangladesh 30 thousand people traveled to both countries.
Relationships deteriorated after clash in Galwan Valley
On 15 June 2020, China deposited troops in the border areas of Eastern Ladakh on the pretext of exercise. This was followed by incidents of infiltration at many places.
The Government of India also deployed equal number of soldiers in these areas. The situation became so bad that bullets were fired along the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
Meanwhile, on 15 June, 20 Indian soldiers were killed in a clash with the Chinese Army in the Galwan Valley. Later, India also gave a befitting reply to this. 40 Chinese soldiers were killed in it.
After this, there was great tension in the relationship between the two countries. However, during the G20 Summit in Kazan, Russia last year, the meeting of Modi and Jinping started melting in the relationship between the two countries.
There was a bilateral talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on 23 October 2023 in Kazan city of Russia on 23 October 2023.
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