Outlook Business Desk
Tata Group-owned Air India has resumed direct Shanghai–Delhi flights after six years, operating four weekly Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner services with modernised cabins and upgraded passenger amenities.
The first Shanghai–Delhi flight departed from Pudong International Airport with over 230 passengers, signalling the relaunch of this key route between India and China for business, tourism and academic travel.
Air India’s Delhi–Shanghai flight AI352 departs at 1200 hours, arriving at 2020 hours, while return flight AI351 leaves Shanghai at 2200 hours, landing in Delhi at 0315 hours the next day for seamless connectivity.
Consul General Pratik Mathur welcomed the flight’s resumption, saying enhanced air connectivity between India and East China will boost trade, tourism, education and people-to-people ties, reinforcing bilateral relations.
The Indian Consulate General in Shanghai reiterated its support for initiatives boosting connectivity, trade, investment, tourism, education and cultural exchanges, Mathur added, saying the revived Shanghai–Delhi flight strengthens broader India–China cooperation.
India–China flights were halted in early 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and further delayed by the four-year eastern Ladakh border standoff, which ended in October 2025, clearing the way for their resumption.
The flight resumption comes after renewed India–China engagement, including meetings between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping, the resumption of tourist visas, Kailash Mansarovar Yatra and other people-focused initiatives.
Meanwhile, IndiGo started flights from Kolkata and Delhi to Guangzhou in November 2025, while China Eastern Airlines resumed Shanghai–Delhi services in November 2024, signalling growing aviation activity between India and China.Other Airlines Operate