China Eastern Airlines, in partnership with InterGlobe Air Transport, hosted a celebratory evening in New Delhi on December 15, 2025, to mark the successful resumption of direct Delhi–Shanghai services, which recommenced on November 9, 2025. The event brought together airline partners, travel trade representatives, and dignitaries, underscoring the revival of direct air connectivity between India and China after nearly five years.
The event was attended by senior dignitaries and industry leaders, including Guo Ce, Minister of Economic and Commercial Affairs at the Chinese Embassy in India. China Eastern Airlines was represented by Liu Yonghong, Country Head – India, while InterGlobe Air Transport was represented by its senior leadership comprising JB Singh, President & CEO; Sunil Talreja, Chief Commercial Officer – India Operations; and Nayan Srivastava, General Manager – Sales.
InterGlobe Air Transport, the exclusive General Sales Agent (GSA) for China Eastern Airlines in India for over two decades, continues to oversee the airline’s commercial and operational functions in the country, including sales, marketing, ticketing, and customer support. Leveraging its extensive trade network, InterGlobe is playing a pivotal role in strengthening the route’s performance and expanding China Eastern’s footprint in the Indian market.
Speaking at the event, Liu Yonghong, General Manager – India, China Eastern Airlines, said, “China Eastern Airlines shares a long and proud history with India. We were the first Chinese carrier to launch flights between China and India in 2002. Today, we are delighted to celebrate the resumption of direct services between Shanghai and Delhi, which restarted on November 9 with three weekly flights. The response from our trade partners and customers has been truly overwhelming.”
Reflecting the strong demand on the route, Liu announced an expansion of services, stating, “Given the robust response from both markets, we are pleased to confirm that from January 2, 2026, China Eastern Airlines will operate daily flights between Delhi and Shanghai.”
Addressing the gathering, Guo Ce, Minister of Economic and Commercial Affairs, Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in India, described the route’s resumption as a significant milestone in bilateral engagement. “Since the first flight took off on November 9, average occupancy has exceeded 90–95 per cent, clearly reflecting the strong demand for people-to-people exchanges between China and India,” he said.
Guo Ce added that direct connectivity between Shanghai and Delhi is a tangible outcome of successful high-level engagements between President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Cannes and Tianjin. “This route marks an acceleration in exchanges between the world’s two largest developing economies. Our industries are highly complementary, and economic and trade cooperation continues to progress steadily,” he noted.
Highlighting the broader economic context, Guo Ce said bilateral trade between China and India reached nearly USD 100 billion in the first nine months of 2025, representing close to 12 per cent year-on-year growth. He welcomed increased exports of Indian goods to China and greater participation by Indian businesses in the Chinese market, emphasising that improved air connectivity would play a vital role in strengthening economic, cultural, and commercial ties.
Expanding India Connectivity
Following the route’s relaunch on November 9, 2025, China Eastern Airlines initially operated three weekly services on the Delhi–Shanghai sector and, in response to strong demand, announced daily operations effective January 2, 2026. The route is currently operated using Airbus A330-200 aircraft, featuring 18 flat-bed Business Class seats and 245 Economy Class seats.
The airline also confirmed plans to introduce additional routes, including Kolkata–Kunming and Mumbai–Shanghai, in the near future.
Furthermore, the airline also announced interline connectivity with Air India, enabling seamless single-ticket travel from 39 Indian cities via Delhi to Shanghai and onward destinations, with through baggage check-in to final points across China Eastern’s extensive global network.
Seamless Transit for Indian Travellers
For Indian travellers, the airline reaffirmed that Indian passport holders are eligible for 24-hour visa-free transit in China, subject to eligibility criteria. Passengers may also access VIP lounges and complimentary transit accommodation, depending on fare and connection duration, with several hotels available near Shanghai Pudong International Airport.
Global Network and New Long-Haul Routes
During the event, China Eastern Airlines also showcased the strength of its global network and product offering. The airline operates flights to more than 240 destinations worldwide, including 165 domestic cities across mainland China and over 73 international destinations spanning Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Oceania, South Korea, Japan, Central Asia, South Asia, North America, and most recently South America.
Earlier this month, the airline launched its Shanghai–Buenos Aires service via Auckland, now recognised as the world’s longest commercial flight, with a journey time exceeding 24 hours.
China Eastern highlighted its strong market leadership across key international corridors. It is the largest carrier on the China–Korea route with a 19.4 per cent frequency share, and also leads the China–Singapore–Malaysia–Thailand (SMT) corridor with a 17.4 per cent share. On the China–Europe network, the airline ranks as the second-largest carrier with a 20.39 per cent share, while on the China–Oceania route, it holds a 27 per cent share, also ranking second.
The airline also reiterated its role as the launch customer for China’s domestically manufactured COMAC C919 aircraft. To date, China Eastern has operated over 15,000 commercial flights on the C919, carrying more than 2.6 million passengers, and has led the deployment of the aircraft across multiple routes, alongside introducing in-flight Wi-Fi services.
China Eastern currently operates a fleet of over 830 aircraft, including more than 800 passenger aircraft and 18 freighters, and is a member of the SkyTeam alliance. Its frequent flyer programme, Eastern Miles, offers tiered benefits such as extra baggage allowance, lounge access, priority services, and other value-added privileges.
