NEW DELHI: India is set to resume direct flights with China in late October, its foreign ministry said, with no commercial airlines having operated between the world’s two most populous countries for the past five years.
The nuclear-armed neighbors were locked in a standoff triggered by deadly clashes along their Himalayan border, known as the Line of Actual Control, in 2020.
Tens of thousands of troops, tanks, and artillery have been deployed on both sides of the LAC, with both countries also building roads, bunkers, and airstrips in the high-altitude region.
Despite multiple rounds of talks, tensions persisted, with India curbing Chinese investments, banning dozens of apps, and tightening trade scrutiny while deepening ties with the US, Japan, and Australia.
Border talks only resumed in August this year, during Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to New Delhi, which was widely interpreted as a signal of an easing of tensions. At the same meeting, the two sides agreed to restore air links and finalize a deal between their civil aviation authorities on direct air services.
