Mumbai will get direct air connectivity to China in the summer with China Eastern Airlines planning four weekly services from Shanghai.
China Eastern Airlines is likely to start the service from May with an Airbus A330 aircraft. The airline is also looking to restart flights between Kunming and Kolkata in the summer.
Flights between India and China resumed last October after a five-year gap. From India, IndiGo and Air India operate flights to Guangzhou (from Delhi and Kolkata) and Shanghai (from Delhi), respectively.
China Eastern Airlines resumed its Shanghai-Delhi service last November with three weekly frequencies, which was scaled to a daily flight from January. A source said the route is performing well with loads upwards of 80 per cent. In addition to point-to-point traffic, the airline is also seeing passengers travelling onward to Japan and Korea.
“The introduction of Mumbai-Shanghai flights is a welcome move. It will enhance connectivity to China and beyond,” said Anil Kalsi, board member, Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism and Hospitality.
India began issuing e-visas to Chinese nationals last July in a sign of the normalisation of ties. China, too, introduced an online visa application system in India last December to speed up processing.
Over three lakh Indians travelled to China in CY2025, provisional data released by the Tourism Ministry shows. While these were largely for trade and business purposes, tour operators have begun promoting leisure trips to China with the resumption of direct flights.
“The visa processes should be relaxed and streamlined further so that more people are able to travel between the two countries,” Kalsi added.
Published on February 27, 2026