After nearly five years, direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai have resumed. China Eastern Airlines flights arrived in Delhi from Shanghai, while IndiGo also launched nonstop flights from Kolkata and Delhi to Guangzhou.
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New Flight Service: Direct air services between Delhi and Shanghai have resumed after nearly five years. China Eastern Airlines flight MU564 departed from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport at 7:55 p.m. on Sunday and arrived in Shanghai at 4:10 a.m. on Saturday. The return of this flight marks the beginning of a new chapter in people-to-people and commercial activities between the two countries.
This Delhi-Shanghai flight will be operated by China Eastern Airlines three days a week on Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays using an Airbus A330 aircraft. The Chinese Embassy and Indian Consulate in India have described it as “a symbol of new connectivity between the two countries.”
Airlines and Routes
1. IndiGo was the first Indian airline to resume services with non-stop flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou from October 26, 2025. It also launched a Delhi to Guangzhou service on November 10, 2025.
2. China Eastern Airlines resumed its flights from Shanghai to Delhi on November 9, 2025.
“India is an emerging global hub where people-to-people ties are continuously strengthening,” the Indian Consulate in Shanghai wrote on social media platform ‘X’.
Fair Winds & Clear skies! ✈️ 🇮🇳🙏🏼
India emerges as a Global Hub as People to People ties grow stronger 💪⚡️💫
CG @PratikMathur1 was at hand to receive the first set of passengers as direct flights resumed between New Delhi and Shanghai.
Jai Hind Jai Bharat 🇮🇳… pic.twitter.com/z9ZeleLdF4
— India In Shanghai (@IndiaInShanghai) November 9, 2025
India-China trade will increase
Prateek Mathur, India’s Consul General in Shanghai, said, “The resumption of direct flights will further bring people and trade closer between India and the East China region. This will inject new energy not only into diplomatic, but also into cultural and economic ties.”
This region of eastern China—which includes industrial and tech hubs like Shanghai, Hangzhou, Yiwu, and Queqiao—holds significant trade and investment potential for India. Indigo is also launching daily flights between Delhi and Guangzhou on November 10th.
Direct flights were suspended for five years.
Notably, flights between India and China were suspended in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and border tensions. Following the disengagement of troops from all disputed points in Ladakh last October, the two countries have taken several steps toward normalizing relations, including the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and the resumption of air services.
