India and China agreed on Monday to resume direct passenger flights between the two countries, after almost five years without a direct connection.

Passenger flights between were initially halted at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and did not resume due to deteriorating relations between Beijing and New Delhi.

India's Foreign Ministry said it had reached an agreement with China "in principle to resume direct air services between the two countries."

"The relevant technical authorities on the two sides will meet and negotiate an updated framework for this purpose at an early date," it said.

Beijing and New Delhi's rapprochement

Around 500 monthly direct flights operated between China and India before the pandemic, according to Indian media outlet Moneycontrol.

Tensions soured later in 2020 after a deadly military clash at a disputed border in the Himalayas, prompting India to officially cut passenger flights to mainland China, ban numerous Chinese apps and limit Chinese investment in the country.

Although services between India and Hong Kong eventually resumed as the public health crisis receded, flights to mainland China did not.

But tensions have thawed in recent months thanks to high-level meetings between the governments of both countries, which are founding members of the BRICS bloc.

China's Foreign Ministry did not specifically mention the agreement on resuming flights on Monday but said in a statement that both countries had been working to improve ties since last year.

"The improvement and development of China-India relations is fully in line with the fundamental interests of the two countries," the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.

zc/wmr (AFP, Reuters)