After Kol-China flight resumption, airport eyes return of more int’l ops
Times of India | 28 October 2025Industry insiders believe Kolkata could soon see more direct connections to West Asia and the Far East. Industry bodies are now pushing for the return of another key route: China Eastern Airlines' Kolkata–Kunming flight, which was suspended during the pandemic. China Eastern has already announced plans to restart its Shanghai–Delhi service from Nov 9.
"We have reached out to China Eastern officials to consider restarting service on their old Kolkata–Kunming route.
The discussions have been quite positive so far, though there is no confirmed date yet," said Manav Soni, national committee member of the Travel Agents Association of India, East.
"We have requested China Eastern to start a daily flight to Kunming instead of the earlier five-days-a-week schedule,"Anil Punjabi of the Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) said.
Traffic to China has improved, he claimed. The IndiGo flight to Guangzhou from Kolkata is a daily service departing the city at 10 pm to reach its destination in 3 hours 35 minutes.
Aviation industry officials said the development is expected to pave the way for the revival of several other international routes in the coming months. Before the pandemic, IndiGo operated a daily flight to Dubai and had plans to link the city with its Istanbul hub — routes that may now find their way back into the schedule. IndiGo is set to launch a thrice-weekly flight to Siem Reap, Cambodia, from Nov 13. Buddha Air, too, is preparing to restart its Kolkata–Kathmandu route, likely by Nov for three days a week.
Air India Express is also exploring the possibility of reviving flights from Kolkata to Kathmandu and Dhaka, officials said.
"India's exports to China rose by 22% in the first half of 2025–26 compared to the same period last year. The Chinese Ambassador Xu Feihong has said his country welcomes more premium Indian goods and is ready to help offset the impact of US tariffs on India's trade — a development that could translate into more flights between the two countries," said TAAI chairman Anjani Dhanuka.
