Air India to resume Delhi-Shanghai flights after six years

Air India will restart direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai from 1 February 2026, six years after suspending operations. The airline had halted services to mainland China in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Operations were further delayed following a deadly clash near Pangong Lake in May 2020 along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh.

Relations between India and China have been steadily improving. Last year, the two countries reached a landmark agreement on border patrols. India also resumed issuing visas for Chinese tourists in July. Additionally, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China for the first time in seven years, meeting President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit, while Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visited India earlier that month.

Air India’s Delhi–Shanghai schedule

The Delhi–Shanghai flight will operate four times a week to Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) using Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, offering 18 business class seats and 238 economy seats. The airline has also announced plans to launch a non-stop Mumbai–Shanghai service in 2026.

Other flights between India and China

Other carriers have resumed services to China as well. IndiGo restarted Kolkata–Guangzhou flights on 26 October and added Delhi–Guangzhou on 10 November, while China Eastern Airlines launched direct Delhi–Shanghai flights on 9 November.