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The Tata Group-promoted Air India has received regulatory clearance to operate direct flights from India to China, industry sources told businessline. According to the sources, the airline has secured approval to launch services from Delhi to Shanghai. The carrier is also expected to receive a second set of clearances to operate direct flights between Mumbai and Shanghai. “Flights are expected to begin in December,” one of the sources said. “Only after receiving the second set of approvals will a decision be made on which hub — Delhi or Mumbai — the flights to Shanghai will be operated from.” Interestingly, five years ago, the airline operated direct services from Mumbai to Shanghai. However, sources pointed to a strong possibility of Air India operating flights from Mumbai to Delhi and then onwards to Shanghai. Last week, flight services between India and China resumed after a pause of five years. Airline major IndiGo became the first Indian carrier to reinstate non-stop flights between India and mainland China. The airline started daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou. Furthermore, IndiGo will launch flights between Delhi and Guangzhou from November 10, 2025, further strengthening its presence in this important trade and travel corridor. businessline was the first to report that India’s domestic airlines are set to commence operations to China in the upcoming winter schedule, with Shanghai and Guangzhou topping their list of destinations. Meanwhile, flight services by both Indian and Chinese carriers mark the first concrete steps toward re-entering each other’s markets after a five-year suspension of services. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, airlines from both countries operated direct flights to several destinations, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, New Delhi, Mumbai, and Kolkata. These services were suspended in early 2020 and never resumed, even as flights to Hong Kong restarted. A few months later, the situation was further complicated by the military clashes in the Galwan Valley of Ladakh in mid-2020, leading to a prolonged freeze in direct operations. Nevertheless, a recent high-level political understanding between the two sides has paved the way for the reopening of direct routes. Industry insiders further said that the resumption of flight services will provide a major boost to bilateral trade, tourism, and business travel. Historically, services to China have recorded healthy load factors, often reaching up to 90 per cent. In addition, direct flights are expected to help plug revenue leakages to competing international carriers and retain earnings within the two countries. Current passenger traffic between India and China is estimated at around one million annually via one-stop connections. Nonetheless, the introduction of direct flights could potentially raise that figure to nearly three million, driven by a strong mix of tourists, students, and business travellers. Published on November 2, 2025
