As India and China try to revamp their political ties, they are set to resume direct flights as early as next month, a Bloomberg report said, citing people familiar with the negotiations. Air connectivity between the two nations had been on hold since the Covid-19 pandemic. During that time, travellers had to pass hubs like Hong Kong or Singapore.
However, the government has asked airlines in India to be prepared for flights to China on short notice. According to the report, an official confirmation could come as soon as the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit at the end of August, in China.
The change comes as relations between India and US have hit an all-time low after US President Donald Trump doubled the tariffs on India to 50 per cent as a penalty for buying Russian oil.
Air India announced on Monday that it would suspend its direct link to Washington owing to “operational factors”. However, the airline still flies to New York and San Francisco.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend the SCO summit in Tianjin from August 31, where he may meet Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Following border clashes in 2020, the relationship between India and China had worsened. It caused the death of 20 Indian soldiers and an unknown number of Chinese troops.
Per the report, Air India and IndiGo could restart flights to China.
The discussion regarding resuming flights between the two countries had just opened in January when a conflict between India and Pakistan shut off the countries again.