The Indian government is unwilling to authorise the resumption of passenger flights to/from China until tensions at their Himalayan border subside, Reuters has reported. Beijing reportedly treats this matter as a high-priority issue, but the standstill continues.
Sources told the news agency that the Chinese government has approached New Delhi "several times" over the last months, asking to resume civilian traffic. There have been no scheduled passenger flights between India and China since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Despite the pleas, an unnamed senior official in the Indian government said the talks will not progress unless "there is peace and tranquillity on the border". The two countries have had overlapping territorial claims in the Himalayas since the 1960s. The dispute escalated in 2020 when dozens of soldiers on both sides died in border skirmishes.
Airlines from each country are in talks with their respective governments about the issue as well.
However, cargo flights between the two countries continue, including scheduled cargo flights operated by Emirates, Sichuan Airlines, YTO Cargo Airlines, and China Eastern Airlines, the ch-aviation schedules module shows.
