NEW DELHI, SEPT 12: China Southern Airlines will resume regular passenger flights between Guangzhou and New Delhi from September 21, ending a six-year suspension of the route, the Chinese carrier announced on Saturday.
The resumption comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in India to attend the BRICS summit and meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with the two leaders expected to discuss further improvement in bilateral relations.
The Guangzhou-New Delhi service was among the passenger links disrupted after the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Direct flight services between India and China remained suspended for years amid strained ties and the military standoff along the Line of Actual Control in eastern Ladakh.
The standoff ended with a disengagement agreement in October last year, paving the way for a gradual easing of tensions between the two countries.
China Southern said the resumption of the route would take its operations in South Asia to more than 100 weekly flights across eight round-trip routes.
Headquartered in Guangzhou, capital of southern China’s Guangdong province, China Southern Airlines is one of the country’s major carriers.
The restart of direct air connectivity marks another step in the gradual restoration of normal exchanges between India and China following years of disruptions.
