Air India has confirmed that it will relaunch four-weekly non-stop flights between Delhi and Shanghai Pudong from 1 February 2026, with a Mumbai–Shanghai service to follow later in the year, subject to approvals. The announcement, made on 17 November, is the clearest sign yet that the India-China air corridor is normalising after almost six years of pandemic and geopolitical closure.
For mobility managers the restored link reopens a critical route for pharmaceutical, tech and manufacturing executives who have relied on lengthy transits through Bangkok or Dubai since 2020. The Boeing 787-8 service will offer 18 lie-flat Business-Class seats and 238 Economy seats, with block times of 7.5 hours eastbound and 6.5 hours westbound.
![Air India to restore Delhi–Shanghai non-stops after six-year hiatus]()
Although operations begin only in 2026, booking engines will display inventory this week, allowing companies to lock in contractual fares for next year’s project travel and assignee home-leave. Shanghai becomes Air India’s 48th international destination and strengthens its Asia-Pacific network just as bilateral trade rebounds—two-way commerce topped USD 136 billion in FY 2025.
Visa processing remains a variable: China’s New Delhi visa centre currently quotes a 10-working-day turnaround for M-class business visas, and travellers must file a COVID-19 PCR report within 48 hours of departure. However, both governments are in talks to revive the 2019 multiple-entry business-visa arrangement.
The carrier’s move dovetails with its post-privatisation fleet renewal and aligns with CEO Campbell Wilson’s strategy to capture premium traffic on routes under-served by Gulf rivals.
For mobility managers the restored link reopens a critical route for pharmaceutical, tech and manufacturing executives who have relied on lengthy transits through Bangkok or Dubai since 2020. The Boeing 787-8 service will offer 18 lie-flat Business-Class seats and 238 Economy seats, with block times of 7.5 hours eastbound and 6.5 hours westbound.
Although operations begin only in 2026, booking engines will display inventory this week, allowing companies to lock in contractual fares for next year’s project travel and assignee home-leave. Shanghai becomes Air India’s 48th international destination and strengthens its Asia-Pacific network just as bilateral trade rebounds—two-way commerce topped USD 136 billion in FY 2025.
Visa processing remains a variable: China’s New Delhi visa centre currently quotes a 10-working-day turnaround for M-class business visas, and travellers must file a COVID-19 PCR report within 48 hours of departure. However, both governments are in talks to revive the 2019 multiple-entry business-visa arrangement.
The carrier’s move dovetails with its post-privatisation fleet renewal and aligns with CEO Campbell Wilson’s strategy to capture premium traffic on routes under-served by Gulf rivals.
