Chinese airlines apply for operational authorisation to restart India flights

Three Chinese airlines, including a cargo operator, have applied for operational authorisation from India’s aviation safety authority to restart direct flights between India and China. The move signals the first concrete step by Chinese carriers to re-enter the Indian market after a five-year suspension of services. It is expected that the process for granting operational authorisation will be over soon, and subsequently, Chinese airlines will apply for airport slots. Similarly, Indian carriers are preparing to launch direct flights to China. Airport slots will reportedly be allocated under a special arrangement between India and China, with services capped at 2019 levels. Before the pandemic, airlines from both nations operated direct connections to several destinations, including Shanghai, Guangzhou, New Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata. Services were suspended in early 2020 and never resumed, even as flights to Hong Kong restarted, as per a report.