29 September,2026 08:11 PM IST | New Delhi | mid-day online correspondent
India is in talks with China to explore the use of its airspace in the Xinjiang region by Indian commercial airlines, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday. PIC/X
India is in talks with China to explore the use of its airspace in the Xinjiang region by Indian commercial airlines, in a bid to reduce the longer flying time and higher costs involved in operating flights to western countries amid the continued closure of Pakistani airspace, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday.
"We are looking at other alternatives. Discussion on the Hotan route in China is going on between the two countries. Our External Affairs Ministry is engaging with the country. Let us see how it goes, but we are trying alternatives," Naidu told journalists.
The move comes days after Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the BRICS Summit in New Delhi. IANS sources said discussions have been underway for more than a year on routing flights through Hotan.
Ahead of President Xi's arrival in Delhi, China Southern Airlines announced that it would resume direct flights between Guangzhou and New Delhi from September 21, restoring a route that had been suspended for six years.
The resumption is part of a broader restoration of direct air links between India and China after services were disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent tensions along the India-China border.
China Southern said it would operate more than 100 weekly flights across eight round-trip routes in South Asia, strengthening connectivity between China and the region.
IndiGo was the first Indian airline to resume India-China connectivity. The airline restarted direct flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou in October 2025, followed by services between Delhi and Guangzhou in November.
Air India resumed direct flights between Delhi and Shanghai on February 1, ending a nearly six-year gap in services to mainland China. The airline initially operated four flights a week and increased the frequency to five flights a week from March 29.
The renewed air connectivity comes against the backdrop of broader diplomatic engagement between New Delhi and Beijing.
Pakistan's airspace has remained shut to Indian aircraft since April 2025, making alternative routing options an important consideration for air travel.
Two weeks ago, Pakistan extended its restrictions on Indian aircraft by another month amid continuing tensions with New Delhi, which retaliated against the 2025 Pahalgam terror attack with the launch of Operation Sindhoor, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan.
(With inputs from IANS)
