BRICS Summit 2026: China Southern Restarts Delhi-Guangzhou Flights After 6 Years As Xi Visits India

China Southern Airlines will begin daily passenger flights between New Delhi and Guangzhou from September 21st after a six-year gap, creating a major air link between India & China.

The announcement came as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi for the 18th BRICS Summit, where he will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

President Xi Jinping has been in the country for seven years. Modi and Xi are expected to hold bilateral talks during the summit.

India-China Flight Details

The reopening of the route is a sign of gradual progress in India-China relations, with direct air connectivity between the two countries now returning after being disrupted during the COVID-19 pandemic and the deterioration of bilateral ties after the 2020 Galwan Valley clash.

China Southern's official website shows that the airline will operate the Delhi-Guangzhou route daily, with flight CZ360 departing Delhi at 8:20 pm and arriving in Guangzhou at 4:15 am the next day. The return flight, CZ359, will leave Guangzhou at 3:35 pm and reach Delhi at 7 pm.

China Southern Delhi-Guangzhou Flights

The restart will give passengers another direct option between India's capital and Guangzhou, one of China's major manufacturing, commercial and logistics centres.

China Southern's return is particularly significant because Guangzhou is an important gateway for China's manufacturing and export ecosystem. Better direct connectivity could therefore benefit not only tourists and students but also business travellers, exporters, importers and companies involved in India-China trade.

The airline's return also adds capacity to a route that has already seen renewed competition.

IndiGo restarted direct India-China connectivity in October 2025 with daily Kolkata-Guangzhou flights and subsequently launched daily Delhi-Guangzhou services from November 10, 2025.

India-China Air Connectivity Is Gradually Returning

India-China air connectivity began returning in stages from late 2025. IndiGo became the first Indian carrier to restore direct connectivity with mainland China when it launched daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou on October 26, 2025. After this, daily Delhi-Guangzhou services started from November 10. Air China has also announced the return of its Beijing-Delhi service from April 21, 2026, operating three times a week initially.