China Eastern Airlines has announced plans to further expand its India network by relaunching flights between Kolkata and Kunming, and introducing a new Mumbai–Shanghai service in the near future, citing strong demand for air travel between India and China.
The announcement comes as the airline confirmed the launch of daily non-stop flights between New Delhi and Shanghai starting January 2, 2026. The move marks a significant scale-up from the earlier plan to operate the route with limited weekly frequencies.
“These initiatives underscore the airline’s vision to provide Indian travellers with greater access to China and beyond, while supporting trade, tourism, and cultural exchange between the two nations,” China Eastern Airlines said in a statement.
The expansion follows the successful relaunch of the Delhi–Shanghai route in November 2025 after a five-year suspension. Initially planned as a phased increase from three to five weekly services, the airline decided to move directly to daily operations due to what it described as an “overwhelming response from both passengers and trade partners”.
China Eastern’s growth in India mirrors a broader revival of air connectivity between the two countries after New Delhi and Beijing approved the resumption of direct flights following a prolonged hiatus. IndiGo was among the first Indian carriers to resume services, launching direct flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou in late October. Air India is also set to restart non-stop Delhi–Shanghai (Pudong) flights from February 1, 2026.
Direct air services between India and China had remained suspended since early 2020, initially due to the COVID-19 pandemic and later amid strained bilateral relations following the Galwan Valley military standoff. Recent improvements in diplomatic and trade engagement have paved the way for the gradual restoration of air links.
Industry experts believe the resumption of direct flights will unlock significant growth opportunities by facilitating smoother travel, trade, and cross-border business between the two Asian economies.
China Eastern also offers interline connectivity, enabling passengers to travel on a single ticket from 39 Indian cities via Delhi to Shanghai and onwards across its global network.
Under the winter schedule, flight MU564 will depart Delhi at 19:55 hrs, arriving at Shanghai Pudong at 04:10 hrs the next day. The return flight, MU563, will depart Shanghai at 12:50 hrs and arrive in Delhi at 17:45 hrs. The service will be operated using an Airbus A330-200 wide-body aircraft, featuring 18 lie-flat business class seats and 245 economy class seats.
