New Delhi, India (South Asian Desk) – China Eastern Airlines will resume India flights on November 9, 2025, ending a five-year suspension. The Shanghai-Delhi service operates three times weekly. This follows a bilateral agreement amid diplomatic progress. Who: China Eastern Airlines. What: Direct flights restart. When: November 9. Where: Shanghai to Delhi. Why: Easing border tensions. How: Winter schedule approval.
The move revives air links strained by pandemic curbs and 2020 Himalayan clashes that killed 24 soldiers. For South Asia, China Eastern Airlines resume India flights fosters economic bridges. It aids trade flows worth USD 135 billion annually, despite India’s deficit. Tourism rebounds, with pre-2020 volumes of 500 monthly flights. Neighbours like Pakistan and Bangladesh gain indirect benefits through regional hubs, spurring SCO-wide connectivity.
Shanghai Delhi Flights Resume 2025 Marks Diplomatic Milestone
China Eastern Airlines unveiled the schedule on its website last Saturday. Tickets now appear for the China Eastern Shanghai Delhi route. Flights depart Shanghai Pudong at 1:20 am and arrive in Delhi at 5:50 am local time. Return legs leave Delhi at 8:20 pm for a 4:50 am Shanghai arrival next day.
The airline deploys Airbus A330-300 aircraft for the 4,500-kilometre journey. This China Eastern Airlines resume India flights initiative aligns with IndiGo’s October 26 launch of daily Kolkata-Guangzhou services. Together, they restore India China direct flights after freeze imposed in March 2020.
Indian Ministry of External Affairs confirmed the pact on October 2. Officials noted technical talks since January advanced normalisation. “Direct air services connecting designated points in India and China can resume by late October 2025,” the statement read. This covers winter schedules, pending carrier choices.
Chinese Foreign Ministry echoed the progress. Spokesperson Guo Jiakun stated on October 9: “China and India will restart direct flights before the end of October this year.” He linked it to leaders’ August 31 Tianjin consensus during the SCO summit. “This facilitates friendly exchanges between the more than 2.8 billion people of China and India.”
Pre-freeze, Chinese carriers flew 42 weekly services to six Indian cities. China Eastern alone handled eight Delhi-Shanghai round trips. The halt slashed passenger numbers from 1.5 million yearly to near zero.
India China Direct Flights After Freeze Boost Trade Hopes
India China direct flights after freeze come amid US tariff pressures. President Trump’s September hikes to 50 percent on Indian goods over Russian oil buys pushed Delhi-Beijing closer. Modi raised the USD 85 billion trade gap with Xi Jinping at Tianjin. Both pledged enhanced ties.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport welcomed expansions. It vowed to promote routes like Guangzhou-Delhi. Air India plans Shanghai restarts by year-end. Akasa Air eyes Chinese entries too.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation approved China Eastern’s five weekly slots, though initial operations start at three. Five Chinese airlines sought permissions: Air China, Shandong for passengers; China Southern, Sichuan for cargo.
This China Eastern Airlines resume India flights eases visa hurdles too. Recent pacts simplify business travel, vital for electronics and pharma sectors. Indian exporters shipped USD 17 billion to China last fiscal, up 10 percent despite tensions.
Border disengagements since 2024 paved the way. Patrolling pacts in Ladakh reduced frictions. Aviation thaw mirrors eased military postures, per analysts.
China Eastern Shanghai Delhi Route: Operational Details
The China Eastern Shanghai Delhi route revives a key corridor. Pre-2020, it carried 200,000 passengers annually. Fuel efficiency of A330s cuts costs by 15 percent versus older models.
Bookings opened immediately, with fares from USD 400 one-way. Demand surges as diaspora plans holidays. Shanghai’s duty-free expansions lure Delhi shoppers.
Safety protocols match ICAO standards. Crew training covers monsoon disruptions. Delhi’s Indira Gandhi terminal allocates gates for seamless connections to Mumbai and Bangalore.
This Shanghai Delhi flights resume 2025 integrates with high-speed rail links in China. Passengers transit to Beijing in two hours post-flight.
Background: From Clashes to Connectivity
Tensions peaked in June 2020 Galwan skirmish. India blamed Chinese incursions; Beijing cited infrastructure builds. Flights grounded alongside pilgrim routes and river-sharing talks.
Pandemic accelerated the freeze. By 2021, indirect routes via Seoul or Dubai inflated costs 30 percent. Businesses rerouted supply chains to Vietnam.
Modi’s August SCO trip thawed ice. Xi hosted dinners; joint communiques stressed mutual success. Aviation topped 20 bilateral mechanisms revived since.
India’s civil aviation ministry coordinates with Beijing’s CAAC. Updated air services agreement nears finalisation, allowing unlimited fifth freedoms potentially.
What’s Next: Expanding Horizons
More carriers join soon. China Southern eyes Guangzhou-Delhi dailies. IndiGo adds Delhi-Guangzhou. Full restoration could hit 300 weekly flights by 2026.
Talks on code-shares progress. This bolsters SCO logistics amid global shifts. For travellers, cheaper fares beckon.
The China Eastern Airlines resume India flights heralds sustained dialogue. It turns rivalry into routine routes, knitting South Asia’s economic fabric tighter.
Published in SouthAsianDesk, October 18th, 2025
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