China and India agree to resume direct commercial flights

China and India have agreed to resume direct commercial flights for the first time in five years. Confirming the development, China’s Foreign Ministry also said it had agreed to reopen Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar in western Tibet to Indian pilgrims this year.

The two destinations are considered sacred in the Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and Bon faiths and are popular pilgrimage sites.

Flights between India and mainland China were suspended at the onset of the Covid pandemic in early 2020, and remained halted following subsequent political tensions.

The announcement came as India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing.In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the two countries had reached a consensus “in principle to resume direct air services,” with officials expected to hammer out details “at an early date.”