China Southern to Resume Guangzhou-Delhi Flights Amid Xi’s India Visit

The move marks the relaunch of China Southern’s India service after a six-year suspension. Following the restart, the airline will operate more than 100 weekly flights across eight round-trip routes in South Asia, the carrier said.

Earlier in April, direct air connectivity between India and China received a boost after Air China resumed its Beijing-Delhi service. China Eastern Airlines also restarted its direct Kunming-Kolkata service on April 18.

On March 30, IndiGo commenced daily nonstop flights between Kolkata and Shanghai, further strengthening air connectivity between India and China. The airline had earlier resumed flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou and later launched services from Delhi.

The developments followed confirmation from India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on the resumption of direct flights between India and China, which had been suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and amid tensions following the Doklam and Galwan standoffs.

Meanwhile, Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Saturday for the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi at the invitation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Xi is scheduled to hold a bilateral meeting with Modi later on Saturday.

Xi’s entourage includes Cai Qi, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China and director of the CPC Central Committee’s General Office, and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

According to Xinhua, Xi is expected to advance proposals on Global South cooperation at the BRICS summit, building on his approach at the SCO Summit in Bishkek.

BRICS has emerged as a key platform for coordinating economic policy among major emerging economies and shaping common positions on global governance. Its agenda covers development, finance, technology, trade and people-to-people exchanges, providing members with a platform to advance the interests of the Global South.