(Reuters) -India and China will restart direct flights between designated cities this month, ending a suspension of more than five years, in a move that signals a cautious easing of bilateral tensions, India’s foreign ministry said on Thursday.

There have been no direct flights between China and India since 2020, even though China is India’s biggest bilateral trade partner.

India’s largest carrier IndiGo said it would begin daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou on October 26. It also plans to launch a route connecting New Delhi with the Chinese city.

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

Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agree

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