Flag-carrier Air China has amended its northern-winter schedule, reducing Beijing Capital (PEK) – Delhi (DEL) frequencies from three to two weekly between 15 November and 29 November 2026. The route will continue with Airbus A330-200 aircraft, departing Beijing at 15:30 and returning from Delhi at 22:50. The move follows slower-than-expected demand recovery on Sino-Indian business corridors amid persistent visa-processing bottlenecks on the Indian side. Travel-management companies say average Chinese business-visa issuance for India now exceeds 20 days, versus a pre-pandemic 5-day norm. For employers the schedule change means tighter seat inventory during November—a peak period for engineering maintenance trips linked to India’s fiscal-year planning. Mobility teams are advised to book early or reroute via Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur, which offer daily connections to Delhi. Industry analysts see the cut as a seasonal adjustment rather than a strategic retreat; Air China plans to up-gauge the same route to a higher-capacity A330-300 from December, coinciding with India’s December-March inbound tourism window. Nevertheless, the episode underscores the fragility of China-India aviation ties and the importance of monitoring airline schedule filings—often the first tangible indicator of shifting bilateral travel sentiment.
Source: AeroRoutes
