Image Source : AP Representational Image
New Delhi: India and China may resume direct flights between the countries after a gap of four years. The major development came on Thursday after the aviation ministers of the world’s two most populous countries sat together and discussed the ongoing dispute.
Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam and other senior officials met with representatives from China on the sidelines of the Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Civil Aviation in the national capital. In a post on X, Naidu said he along with senior officials had a courtesy meeting with a Chinese delegation led by Song Zhiyong.
Final decision awaited: Aviation minister
The meeting focused on the exchange of views regarding “further strengthening civil aviation cooperation between the two countries, especially promoting early resumption of scheduled passenger flights between us,” the minister said in the post. Later, Naidu told reporters that the Chinese side mentioned about resumption of direct flights but no decision has been taken. A decision will be taken after discussions with the external affairs ministry and other stakeholders.
Currently, there are no direct flights between India and China. The services stopped at the time of the coronavirus pandemic. IndiGo and Air India had flight services to China.
India ignored China’s calls to resume flights
Earlier in June, news agency Reuters reported New Delhi rejected China’s long-standing demand to resume direct passenger flights after a four-year halt. The report claimed New Delhi was resisting resuming as a border dispute continues to weigh on ties between the two neighbouring countries.
It is worth recalling the border clash between the two neighbouring nations in 2020. India-China relations have been tense since the biggest military confrontation in decades on their disputed Himalayan border killed 20 Indian and at least four Chinese soldiers in June 2020. Multiple media reports claimed China had not revealed the proper death toll of their soldiers killed in the deadly clash after the 1962 war. Thousands of troops remain mobilised on each side.
Since the clash, India has made it difficult for Chinese companies to invest, banned hundreds of popular apps and severed passenger routes, although direct cargo flights still operate between the Asian giants. Direct flights would benefit both economies, but the stakes are higher for China, where a recovery in overseas travel after the COVID-19 pandemic is lagging, while India’s aviation sector booms.
(With inputs from agencies)
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