After a five-year gap, India and China have agreed to resume direct air services between designated points from October 26, the Ministry of External Affairs and civil aviation officials said on Thursday, marking a major step toward normalising ties between the two neighbours.

Civil aviation authorities of both countries have been holding technical-level talks since early this year on restarting scheduled passenger services and revising the existing Air Services Agreement.

While IndiGo Airlines has announced it would resume services to mainland China, operating daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou (CAN) from October 26, subject to regulatory approvals, top aviation sources told The Tribune that Air India is also planning to start its flight operations by month-end.

The

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