India and China will restart direct flights between the countries this month, India's foreign ministry has said, in another step towards ties being gradually normalised.
There have been no direct flights between the two countries since 2020, following deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border. But over the past year or so, Delhi and Beijing have been working towards re-building ties, including taking steps to de-escalate tensions at the border.
On Thursday, India's biggest budget airline IndiGo said that it would restart direct flights between the cities of Kolkata and Guangzhou from 26 October.
India's foreign ministry stated that the resumption of flights would 'further facilitate people-to-people contact' between the two countries and contribute towards 'gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges'.
India and China share an ill-defined border over 3,440km long with overlapping territorial claims. In 2020, troops clashed at the Galwan river valley, resulting in casualties and a freezing of ties. High-ranking officials from both sides have since engaged in talks to ease tensions and mend relations further.
The restart of flights follows a series of diplomatic gestures, including visa agreements for travelers and discussions on border trade. Both nations currently aim to treat each other as 'partners' moving forward rather than adversaries.
There have been no direct flights between the two countries since 2020, following deadly troop clashes on their shared Himalayan border. But over the past year or so, Delhi and Beijing have been working towards re-building ties, including taking steps to de-escalate tensions at the border.
On Thursday, India's biggest budget airline IndiGo said that it would restart direct flights between the cities of Kolkata and Guangzhou from 26 October.
India's foreign ministry stated that the resumption of flights would 'further facilitate people-to-people contact' between the two countries and contribute towards 'gradual normalisation of bilateral exchanges'.
India and China share an ill-defined border over 3,440km long with overlapping territorial claims. In 2020, troops clashed at the Galwan river valley, resulting in casualties and a freezing of ties. High-ranking officials from both sides have since engaged in talks to ease tensions and mend relations further.
The restart of flights follows a series of diplomatic gestures, including visa agreements for travelers and discussions on border trade. Both nations currently aim to treat each other as 'partners' moving forward rather than adversaries.
