China Southern resumes Guangzhou-New Delhi flights

China Southern Airlines has announced that it will resume regular passenger services between Guangzhou and New Delhi from 21 September 2026, ending a six-year suspension. Air services between India and China were suspended in 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The resumption coincides with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India for the BRICS Summit in New Delhi, where he is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

China Southern said the route will be operated once daily using Boeing 737-series aircraft. Flight CZ359 will depart Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 3:35 pm local time and arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi at 7 pm.

The return flight, CZ360, will depart New Delhi at 8:20 pm and arrive at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport at 4:15 am the following day, according to the Global Times.

The carrier said the route’s resumption will help boost bilateral trade between China and India while making travel more convenient for tourists and students.

Notably, on April 21, Air China resumed its direct service between Beijing and Delhi, marking the first restart of flights between the two capitals in nearly six years. The route operates three times a week.

Earlier, on April 18, China Eastern Airlines resumed direct flights between Kunming and Kolkata, marking the carrier’s latest expansion of its China-India network following the resumption of its Shanghai-Delhi service in November 2025.

With the resumption of its Guangzhou-New Delhi service, China Southern Airlines will become the third major Chinese airline to operate flights to India, after Air China and China Eastern Airlines.

Among Indian carriers, Air India operates five weekly flights between New Delhi and Shanghai.

IndiGo launched daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Shanghai in March, following the resumption of its Kolkata-Guangzhou service and the launch of flights between Delhi and Guangzhou. The airline also operates cargo flights between Kunming and Kolkata three times a week.

However, IndiGo’s Kolkata-Shanghai service is currently not operational and is scheduled to resume on October 1, 2026.