India, China airlines to vie for bigger market share as skies open

In September 2019, IndiGo entered the fray with a Delhi-Chengdu flight, and then added another from Kolkata to Guangzhou the next month, soon grabbing 16.8 per cent of the overall market

Indian carriers led by IndiGo and Air India are poised for a head-to-head battle with Chinese carriers to grab a bigger share in the lucrative India-China sector, which is being opened up once again for direct flights after suspension of operations for over five years from early 2020.

 

In 2019, when direct flights were on, Chinese carriers China Eastern, China Southern, China Air, and Shandong were the kings, collectively dominating with an 89 per cent share of India-China seats, according to CAPA-OAG data. Air India, the only big player in the international space, was in financial trouble, managing with an