China Eastern launches Shanghai-Delhi flight with near full capacity

China Eastern Airlines started its Shanghai-Delhi service on Sunday with a 95 per cent occupancy, becoming the first mainland Chinese carrier this year to resume direct flights to India after a gap of five years.

Flight MU563, carrying 248 passengers, departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport for Delhi, the state-run Global Times reported.

Indian airline IndiGo will begin its daily Delhi-Guangzhou service from November 10.

China Eastern becomes the first Chinese mainland-based airline in 2025 to resume direct passenger flights between China and India, the report said, adding that the Shanghai-Delhi flight achieved a load factor of over 95 per cent.

The Shanghai-Delhi route is considered a key corridor linking two major economic centres and is expected to boost exchanges in trade, economy and culture, the report said.

Flights between India and the Chinese mainland resumed on October 26 when an IndiGo aircraft landed at Guangzhou in Guangdong province from Kolkata, ending a hiatus that began with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. Services were not restored due to the military standoff between the two countries in eastern Ladakh, which ended in October last year.

China Eastern's Shanghai Pudong-Delhi route, operated by an Airbus A330 wide-body aircraft, will run three times a week on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays. The airline said it plans to increase frequencies based on market demand and also aims to resume the Kunming-Kolkata service and launch a new Shanghai-Mumbai route.

Bilateral relations between Indian and China hit their lowest point since the 1962 war after the Galwan Valley clashes in June 2020. Following several rounds of diplomatic and military talks, the two sides withdrew troops from various friction points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

A disengagement pact for Depsang and Demchok, the last two friction points, was finalised in October last year.

Days after the agreement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Kazan, Russia, and decided on steps to stabilise bilateral ties.

In recent months, the two sides have taken a series of measures to rebuild engagement, including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and restoring flight services.