#ChangingWorldOrder: India-China direct flights most likely to resume next month
India-China direct flights most likely to resume next month
Flights were suspended in early 2020 post-Covid outbreak
Delhi Crown Bureau
New Delhi: Direct flights between India and China, that have been under suspension for over five-and-a-half years, are most likely to begin operations by next month even as back-channel efforts were on between the two sides, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi already scheduled to visit Tianjin on August 31-September 1 to attend the SCO Summit.
Speculations were also rife that Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi would be visiting New Delhi on August 18 to meet NSA Ajit Doval, and also to set the agenda for a yet-to-be-announced bilateral meeting between Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the forthcoming SCO Summit.
Replying to a question about possibilities of resumption of direct flights, Spokesperson of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of China Lin Jian told media persons in Beijing – “We noted relevant reports. The total population of #China and #India combined is over 2.8 billion. Resuming direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India helps facilitate cross-border travel, exchanges, and cooperation. For some time, the Chinese side has been in close communication with India to promote the early resumption of direct flights between the two countries.”
Resumption of direct flights has been a contentious issue between the two neighbours, ever since ties worsened in early 2020 post-Covid 19. And, then happened the June 2020 skirmish which saw casualties of soldiers on both the sides and worsened the bilateral ties.
Initially, China had suspended direct flights from India as it did with the rest of the world. However, subsequent to the June 2020 Galwan deadly clash, India chose to continue with the suspension “originally imposed on it by China”.
“First they imposed the ban on direct flights with India, and then isolated us while resuming direct flights with other countries. Now they have been wanting to resume the flights, but we are sticking to it,” said a senior official whose services superannuated from India’s Ministry of External Affairs.
For want of direct flights, Indians visiting Chine for business, tourism, or academic purposes have to spend more than double on fares for flights taking longer routes to various Chinese cities.
Bilateral trade had also nosedived over the past five years. Amid the changing world order, particularly after Trump Administration imposed heavy tariffs on imports from India.
India’s private airlines Air India and IndiGo were expected to resume flights once it’s officially announced by the Indian Government. IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers two days ago stated that the airline was ready to resume direct flights. “IndiGo operated daily flights between India and China prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow,” he was quoted as saying.
