The first batch of passengers taking the resumed China-India direct flight after a five-year hiatus check in their luggage and prepare to depart for Guangzhou on October 26, 2025. (Photo: Courtesy of Indigo)
India's largest carrier IndiGo plans to launch direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai soon. If approved, it will become the third direct air link between the two economies, a source close to the matter told the Global Times on Thursday.
The source said the airline plans to launch the route in late March or early April, pending regulatory approval.
Previously, the carrier resumed the Kolkata-Guangzhou service on October 26, 2025, which made IndiGo the first Indian airline to restart direct flights to the Chinese mainland after a five-year hiatus.
On November 11, IndiGo flight 6E 1701 arrived in Guangzhou from Delhi, marking the carrier's second route to the mainland after the Kolkata.
Currently, there have two daily round-trip flights between Guangzhou and India. As of February 5, 2026, the Kolkata route has completed 102 flights, while the Delhi route has operated 87 flights, transporting approximately 54,000 passengers, the source added.
The source noted that the average seat occupancy rate in 2025 was approximately 85 percent, with the passenger base mainly consisting of business travelers.
In an earlier interview with the Global Times, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, showed his confidence related to the market size of the two countries, as the reality is that one-third of the world's population is living in these two countries.
China is the second-largest economy in the world, and India is the fourth, so "there's room for a lot of flights and a lot of operators," he said.
He also expressed his ambition for the Chinese market, revealing that the airline is evaluating operations from additional Indian cities to more Chinese destinations.
The routes expansion came amid the background as a warmer tie between the two countries in recent months.
India resumed issuing tourist visas to Chinese citizens on July 24, 2025, following a prior suspension of the service.
India has recently introduced a new type of e-Business visa for Chinese nationals, known as the e-B-4 Visa, to facilitate specific business activities such as equipment installation and commissioning.
Hailed by Indian media as a people-centric move to reset bilateral ties amid recent diplomatic thawing, the online visa - effective January 1 - allows a stay of up to six months but takes around 45-50 days to process.
Chinese Ambassador to India Xu Feihong said on Wednesday that trade between the two countries hit a record $155.6 billion in 2025, up 12 percent year-on-year. India's exports to China grew by 9.7 percent, reflecting the enormous potential of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
Xu also mentioned that India resumed the issuance of tourist visas to Chinese citizens, and direct flights between the two countries were reinstated, facilitating mutual personnel exchanges.
On November 9, China Eastern Airlines flight MU563, carrying 248 passengers, departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport bound for Delhi, India, the first time for a domestic airline to resume the connection between the Chinese mainland and India after a five-year hiatus.