Air India said on Monday it would restart flights to China from New Delhi after nearly six years come February 2026 and was planning to launch a Mumbai-Shanghai route next year.

The development is subject to regulatory approvals, the carrier said.

Last month, Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport announced the resumption of flights between the two nations, ending a halt of over five years and signalling cautious easing of bilateral tensions.

"The reinstatement of Air India’s services to Shanghai follows recent India-China diplomatic agreements that restored the air links paused in early 2020," Air India said in a statement.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China this year for the first time in seven years to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional security bloc.

Modi and President Xi Jinping agreed that India and China were development partners, not rivals, and discussed ways to strengthen trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty. (Reuters)