"Air India Resumes Shanghai-Delhi Flight Service After Six-Year Hiatus"

Air India Resumes Direct Flights Between Shanghai and New Delhi After Six Years

Air India has taken a significant step towards restoring air coectivity between India and China by resuming direct flights between Shanghai and New Delhi. The service, which was suspended in 2020 due to the pandemic and border tensions, has returned after a gap of about six years.

The inaugural Shanghai-New Delhi flight, operated by Air India, departed from Shanghai Pudong International Airport with over 230 passengers on board the Boeing 787 aircraft. The Consul General of India in Shanghai, Pratik Mathur, welcomed this resumption, highlighting its importance in fostering people-to-people, business, and institutional coectivity between the two countries.

Mathur emphasized the significance of enhanced air coectivity in facilitating trade, tourism, academic exchanges, and people-to-people contacts, particularly between India and East China. Air India will operate the route four times a week using its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner aircraft, offering modernized cabins and enhanced on-board services.

The restored service reflects the growing demand for travel between India and China and the steady recovery of cross-border mobility. It will support commercial, educational, and cultural exchanges between India and the economically dynamic Yangtze River Delta region in China.

The Consulate General of India in Shanghai remains committed to supporting initiatives that strengthen coectivity and deepen cooperation across trade, investment, tourism, education, and cultural exchanges between the two countries.

The resumption of direct flights between Shanghai and New Delhi is part of the process of normalizing relations between India and China. The two countries have taken several steps to reset their ties, including the resumption of Kailash Manasarovar Yatra, direct flights, and visa facilitation.

With the restoration of direct flights between the two countries in October, the bilateral relations are gradually moving towards a more cooperative and coected future.

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In other news, the Union Budget 2026 has revealed plans for the development of seven high-speed rail corridors in India, spaing nearly 4,000 kms and expected to attract investments of Rs 16 lakh crore. These corridors include Mumbai-Pune, Pune-Hyderabad, Hyderabad-Bangalore, Hyderabad-Cheai, Cheai-Bangalore, Delhi-Varanasi, and Varanasi-Siliguri.