India and China have started direct flights after five years

Direct flights between India and China have resumed as relations between the countries appear to be deteriorating.

IndiGo Flight 6E 1703 from Kolkata landed in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou on Monday with around 180 passengers on board.

Flights between the two countries were first suspended during the Covid pandemic in early 2020 and have not resumed since. Deadly clashes in disputed Himalayan border areas Increased stress.

But the two countries have been steadily rebuilding ties and last year they a Historic agreement on border patrol.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years in August. In the same month, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India.

The Indian government has said the resumption of flights will “facilitate people-to-people contact” and help “gradual normalization of bilateral exchanges”.

India also resumed issuing Visa for Chinese tourists.

At the Kolkata airport on Sunday evening, airline staff lit brass oil lamps to mark the resumption of direct flights after IndiGo passengers checked in.

“This is a very important day for India-China relations”, Qin Yong, a senior Chinese consular official, told reporters at the airport.

A passenger said the direct connection would improve logistics and transit time.

China Eastern Airlines will start flights connecting Shanghai and Delhi in November.