Flight services on the Guangzhou-New Delhi route are set to resume from September 21, after a six-year pause. The announcement by China Southern Airlines comes as Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in New Delhi to attend the 2026 BRICS Summit.
The resumption of flights on the Guangzhou-New Delhi route is significant for Indian traders and business travellers, as Guangzhou is one of China’s biggest commercial centres and has long been an important destination for Indian traders and companies looking to source products from the country.
Why Guangzhou Matters To Indian Businesses
Also referred to as the “Southern Gateway” to China, Guangzhou is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province. It is located in southern China on the Pearl River and is around 120 km from Hong Kong.
The city
is also significant to Indian traders because of its huge wholesale markets. Businesses dealing in apparel, accessories and electronics regularly look to Guangzhou for sourcing and trade opportunities.
The city has a sizeable Indian business community, with an estimated 3,000 Indian traders and business professionals based there. Its commercial importance is also boosted by the Canton Fair, China’s largest trade fair, which takes place twice a year and attracts buyers and sellers from across the globe.
Why Guangzhou Is Important Beyond Trade?
The city also plays a crucial role in China’s aviation network. Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is an important international and domestic gateway and is used by passengers travelling onwards to destinations such as the US.
Over five million visits by foreign nationals were recorded at the airport last year, underlining the scale of its international traffic. The resumption of China Southern’s Delhi service will restore a direct connection between the two cities and reduce the need for Indian passengers to rely on third-country transit points.
Six-Year Gap In Direct Connectivity
The direct India-Guangzhou flight operation was suspended after the pandemic-era travel restrictions and remained disrupted amid the deterioration in India-China relations after the Galwan standoff. However, the passenger movements between the two countries continued through other hubs. In 2024, almost five lakh passengers travelled between India and China via Singapore, Bangkok and Hong Kong.
Before the disruption, China also received around 142,000 Indian tourists in 2019, according to official statistics.
With the Delhi-Guangzhou service returning, Indian companies and traders will once again have a direct air route to a key Chinese business centre.
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