India’s largest carrier IndiGo announced on 4 February that it will restart non-stop services to mainland China for the first time since early 2022. The airline said the initial rotation will connect Delhi with Guangzhou from 31 March, with Shanghai Pudong to follow in April, subject to regulatory approvals.
The decision comes as the low-cost giant reshuffles its international network, temporarily suspending Copenhagen and trimming frequencies to Manchester and London to free aircraft and crew. Executives cited a “sharp recovery” in Sino-Indian trade and a rebound in corporate travel demand as key drivers behind the pivot. According to India’s commerce ministry, bilateral goods trade grew 12 percent year-on-year in 2025 to US$138 billion.
![IndiGo Resumes Direct Flights to China After Four-Year Hiatus]()
For global mobility managers the route restoration offers a much-needed nonstop option between the world’s two most populous markets. Until now, business travellers faced multistop itineraries via Singapore, Bangkok or Dubai that stretched total journey times to 12–15 hours and inflated costs. The new daily service will cut this to under six hours gate-to-gate, making day-one client meetings feasible and opening up new supply-chain possibilities.
IndiGo said it will deploy 222-seat Airbus A321neo jets in a two-class layout, including a 24-seat premium economy cabin designed for business travellers. Cargo holds will prioritise semiconductor equipment, pharmaceuticals and perishables—goods that have seen double-digit volume growth despite geopolitical headwinds.
Travel consultants expect rival carriers, including Air India and China Southern, to follow with additional capacity ahead of India’s festival season in October, intensifying competition and keeping fares in check.
The decision comes as the low-cost giant reshuffles its international network, temporarily suspending Copenhagen and trimming frequencies to Manchester and London to free aircraft and crew. Executives cited a “sharp recovery” in Sino-Indian trade and a rebound in corporate travel demand as key drivers behind the pivot. According to India’s commerce ministry, bilateral goods trade grew 12 percent year-on-year in 2025 to US$138 billion.
For global mobility managers the route restoration offers a much-needed nonstop option between the world’s two most populous markets. Until now, business travellers faced multistop itineraries via Singapore, Bangkok or Dubai that stretched total journey times to 12–15 hours and inflated costs. The new daily service will cut this to under six hours gate-to-gate, making day-one client meetings feasible and opening up new supply-chain possibilities.
IndiGo said it will deploy 222-seat Airbus A321neo jets in a two-class layout, including a 24-seat premium economy cabin designed for business travellers. Cargo holds will prioritise semiconductor equipment, pharmaceuticals and perishables—goods that have seen double-digit volume growth despite geopolitical headwinds.
Travel consultants expect rival carriers, including Air India and China Southern, to follow with additional capacity ahead of India’s festival season in October, intensifying competition and keeping fares in check.
Source: The Economic Times
