India to re-start direct flights to China? Vikram Misri set to discuss matter as bilateral relations thaw: Report
India and China's potential bilateral relations recovery is likely to re-start direct flights between the two nations, as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri visits Beijing today, reported Indian Express.
International travellers are eyeing India's relationship with China as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri begins his Beijing visit today. The expectation of a relationship with China is giving rise to the hope for normalisation of air connectivity between the two countries, reported the news portal Indian Express on Sunday, January 26.
According to the report, India and China have not had regular passenger flights between them since early 2020.
The foreign secretary is expected to address issues like the resumption of direct flights, normalisation of visa issuance, and the Chinese demands in his visit, as per the report.
Lack of India-China Flight Connectivity
The lack of aviation connectivity between India and mainland China, along with strict visa regulations and restrictions, has fueled the airlines of both nations to lose out on passenger traffic.
The entire passenger load is currently diverted through connecting hubs in South and South East Asia. The overall passenger load has dropped to less than half of its level compared to that in 2019.
According to the January to October 2024 data, the total number of travellers between India and China (both directions) was at 4.6 lakh, compared to nearly a million in the same period in 2019, cited the news portal quoting a passenger data analysis agency Cirium finds.
Direct flights made up 46 per cent of the total passenger flow between the two countries, as per the report.
Connectivity hubs
According to the data cited in the report, in the first 10 months of 2024, more than 98,000 international travellers moving between India and China used Singapore as their connecting hub. This is 16.6 per cent more than the level in the year 2019.
Countries like Singapore, Bangladesh, and Vietnam are among others that are gaining due to the rise in connecting flights to China.
Bangladesh connected more than 4,500 passengers travelling between India and China between January to October of 2019, compared to its latest levels of over 30,000 passengers in the same period in 2024, reported the news portal.
Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam also followed suit to Bangladesh and Singapore, where almost 20,000 passengers used the airport as a connection between India and China in the first 10 months of 2024, compared to hardly any passengers in 2019, as per the data cited in the report.
Hong Kong, Thailand's capital, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, and Colombo are amongst the other connecting hubs that are currently catering to the India-China passenger rush.
According to the news portal's report, the Chinese airlines are most likely to gain if direct flight routes are reestablished to provide connectivity to passengers travelling from India to China due to a dominant share of the direct flight market before the global pandemic.
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Business NewsNewsWorldIndia to re-start direct flights to China? Vikram Misri set to discuss matter as bilateral relations thaw: Report
First Published:26 Jan 2025, 06:03 PM IST
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