India-China flights: IndiGo ready to resume service to Beijing, says CEO Pieter Elbers; airline awaits 'bilateral arrangements'

NEW DELHI: IndiGo has said it is ready to resume direct flights between India and China, as both countries move closer to finalizing bilateral arrangements , CEO Pieter Elbers said on Wednesday.

"The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow," Elbers said, as quoted by PTI, adding that IndiGo, guided by its entrepreneurial spirit, remains committed to identifying and pursuing commercially viable opportunities.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, IndiGo operated daily flights from Delhi to Chengdu until February 6, 2020, and from Kolkata to Guangzhou until February 1, 2020. Both Indian and Chinese carriers had offered direct services between the two nations.

The flights were suspended following the outbreak of COVID-19 and remained halted due to tensions along the eastern Ladakh border. Air India ’s direct flights from Delhi to Shanghai were also suspended in early 2020.

Sources said on Tuesday that India and China are in an "advanced stage" of negotiations to resume direct flights soon, reported PTI.

Earlier this year, on January 27, the two countries had agreed in principle to restart direct air services as part of efforts to "stabilise and rebuild" bilateral ties.