Air India to resume direct New Delhi-Shanghai flights

India's major carrier has announced it is resuming non-stop flights between New Delhi and Shanghai starting in February. The reinstatement of the service comes after a nearly six-year hiatus.

Air India on Monday became the second Indian airline to announce the resumption of flights to mainland China, following the route between Kolkata and Guangzhou that restarted last month by IndiGo.

Air India says the New Delhi-Shanghai flights will operate four times a week.

The carrier has also unveiled plans to launch direct flights between Mumbai and Shanghai next year, subject to regulatory approvals.

Flights between the two neighbors had been suspended since 2020 after their military forces clashed in the disputed Himalayan border region of Ladakh.

But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping confirmed the restoration of air links during their summit in August.

In light of the worsening relations with the US following the imposition of tariffs by the Trump administration, New Delhi has been accelerating moves to improve ties with Beijing.

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