Union Minister of Civil Aviation K. Rammohan Naidu during the 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference (APAC) on Civil Aviation, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Sept 11, 2024.
| Photo Credit: PTI
A Chinese delegation on civil aviation met the Union Minister for Civil Aviation Rammohan Naidu and discussed the resumption of flights between the two countries after a gap of more than four years.
Mr. Naidu posted about a meeting held on the sidelines of the 2nd Asia Pacific Ministerial Conference on Aviation. However, the posts from his X handle as well as the Ministry’s official handle were later deleted. The conference was a two-day event, held on September 11 and 12, under the aegis of the UN’s aviation watchdog International Civil Aviation Organisation.
“This morning, alongside Secretary Shri Vumlunmang Vualnam and other senior officials from my ministry, I had a courtesy meeting with the Chinese delegation led by Mr. Song Zhiyong to exchange views regarding further strengthening civil aviation cooperation between the two countries, especially promoting the early resumption of scheduled passenger flights between us,” read the post on X that was later removed.
Mr. Song is an administrator of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.
Flights between the two countries were suspended in March 2020 in view of the COVID-19 pandemic that resulted in travel restrictions globally. Though India re-opened fully for international flights in March 2022, flights between China and India are yet to restart despite demands from trade and tourism bodies as well as students. The relationship between the two countries has been strained since a violent military clash in Galwan in June 2020.
(WITH PTI INPUTS)
Published – September 12, 2024 08:33 pm IST
