Air India Resumes Non-Stop Delhi-Shanghai Flights From September 2026

Air India has resumed non-stop flights between Delhi and Shanghai, restoring a route it had suspended in May 2026, as part of a wider restoration of international services the airline had reduced or paused over the northern summer months. The airline has said it is bringing back most of the curtailed services from 1 September 2026, with the Delhi-Shanghai route reported to operate five times a week.

Why the route had been suspended

Air India had paused the Delhi-Shanghai service in May 2026, citing continued airspace restrictions over certain regions and record-high jet fuel prices that affected the commercial viability of some international services. The route had itself only been relaunched in February 2026, after nearly six years off Air India's network, making September's restart the airline's second resumption of Delhi-Shanghai service within the year.

What the schedule looks like

Reported scheduling has the Delhi-Shanghai flight departing Indira Gandhi International Airport around 11:20am local time and arriving at Shanghai Pudong International Airport around 8:20pm, a flight time of roughly six-and-a-half hours, with the return service departing Shanghai around 10pm and arriving in Delhi past midnight. Air India has also said it will add frequencies on several other international routes, including to Milan, Frankfurt, Zurich, Vienna, Melbourne, Tokyo and New York, as part of the same September restoration.

Part of a broader thaw

The restart comes alongside a broader easing in India-China air links this year, including the resumption of China Southern's Guangzhou-Delhi service, against a backdrop of improving diplomatic contact between the two countries. Flight schedules on routes affected by airspace restrictions and fuel costs have shifted more than once in 2026, so travellers should treat any single announcement as provisional until closer to departure.

Traveller tips

• This route has been suspended and relaunched more than once in 2026; confirm current operating status directly with Air India before booking.
• Check Air India's official channels for the latest confirmed schedule and fare information, since reported timings can change ahead of the actual restart.
• Travellers connecting onward from Shanghai should build in buffer time given the route's history of short-notice changes.
• If flying via Delhi from another Indian city, confirm minimum connection times given the flight's late-morning departure.