India-China Direct Flights May Not Resume: Is Pakistan a Key Factor?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government is reconsidering its plan to restart direct commercial flights to China after a recent intelligence report hinted at Beijing’s link to Pakistan during military tensions between the two nuclear neighbours following the April 22 Pahalgam attack. The intelligence report by the Centre for Joint Warfare Studies (CJWS), a think tank under the Defence Ministry, accused China of supporting Pakistan to redeploy its air defense systems and gave its satellite-based intelligence, MoneyControl reported. 

The government has set up a high-level task force to independently verify the findings of the think tank’s before making any civil aviation-related decision with China. 

“If it’s established that China played a substantial role in aiding Pakistan’s military actions, the plan to restart flights will likely be shelved for the foreseeable future,” MoneyControl reported, citing an official source.

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India-China Air Travel Ties 

India and China were reportedly considering to negotiate their travel ties to facilitate direct commercial flights between the two countries, which have remained suspended since 2020. Commenting on negotiations, Civil Aviation Secretary Vumlunmang Vualnam said certain issues remain unresolved. 

“The civil aviation ministry and our counterpart in China have had one round of meetings,” said the government in a statement. 

Prior to suspension, dozens of direct flights per week connecting cities like Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Kunming with New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. 

Aviation isn’t the only sector that suffered due to troubled geopolitical relations between the two countries. The press note 3 issued by the Indian government in 2020 complicated the business relationship between the two countries and barred investments from countries sharing a land border with India, including China.

"As per the order any bidder from such countries sharing a land border with India will be eligible to bid in any procurement whether of goods, services or works only if the bidder is registered with the competent authority," the government had said.