According to Bloomberg, India and China are planning to resume direct air services as early as next month. India’s Civil Aviation Department has reportedly asked Air India and IndiGo to be ready on short notice to operate direct routes. An official announcement may come around the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit. Direct flights and the Kailash–Mansarovar pilgrimage were halted in May 2020 due to COVID-19. Tensions escalated further after a deadly clash in Galwan, eastern Ladakh, a month later. Talks earlier this year paved the way for restoring air links as part of efforts to ease bilateral strains.