IndiGo stands ready to resume flights to China: CEO Pieter Elbers

New Delhi: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Wednesday said the airline stands ready to resume direct flights between India and China.

On Tuesday, people familiar with the matter said India and China are in an "advanced stage" of negotiations to resume direct flights between the two countries soon.

Elbers said IndiGo operated daily flights between India and China prior to the coronavirus pandemic.


"The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow," he said in a statement on Wednesday.

Elbers also said that guided by its entrepreneurial spirit, the airline remains committed to identifying and pursuing commercially viable opportunities.

IndiGo was operating daily flights from Delhi to Chengdu till February 6, 2020, and from Kolkata to Guangzhou till February 1, 2020.

Direct flights were operational between the two countries till early 2020 before getting suspended due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both Indian and Chinese carriers had direct services.

The services remained suspended in view of the eastern Ladakh border row.

Air India also had flights from Delhi to Shanghai, and those were also suspended in early 2020.

On January 27 this year, India and China in principle agreed to resume direct air services between the two countries as part of certain people-centric steps to "stabilise and rebuild" the bilateral ties.