Author: Shelly M

IndiGo announced that daily non-stop flights from Kolkata to Guangzhou will resume starting October 26.

The airline will operate Airbus A320neo aircraft. The flights are now open for sale via IndiGo’s official website or mobile application.

This comes after the Ministry of External Affairs said that India and China will restart direct flights this month after a suspension of more than five years.

Subject to regulatory approvals, IndiGo will also introduce direct flights between Delhi and Guangzhou shortly.

This comes after the recent diplomatic initiatives aimed to boost trade, strategic business partnerships and tourism between the two countries, reported The Economic Times.

Before the pandemic, IndiGo operated flights between India and China. “The past experience and familiarity with local partners will enable IndiGo to resume these flights swiftly,” the low-cost airline said in a statement.

Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, said, “We are delighted to announce the resumption of daily, non-stop flights between India and mainland China. We are proud to be amongst the first to resume direct connectivity to China from two points in India.”

He added, “This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods, and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between the two of the world’s most populous countries and fast-growing economies. With this very important step, we are looking at introducing more direct flights into China. As we take steady strides towards becoming a global aviation player, this is a significant move to strengthen our international network.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited China last month for the first time in seven years to attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation regional security bloc.

Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping agreed discussed ways to strengthen trade ties amid global tariff uncertainty. While Modi conveyed India’s commitment to improving ties and raised concerns about its widening trade deficit with China, which stands at nearly $99.2 billion.

Modi also stressed that it is vital to maintain peace and stability along their disputed border.

Airbus board members concluded their four-day visit to India on Thursday, which also marked the first meeting since the aircraft maker started operations here more than 60 years ago.

The board led by Chairman Rene Obermann met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the capital on Tuesday.

Obermann also held discussions with Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu on investments and other issues.

The board visited Tata Advanced Systems Ltd’s component manufacturing facility in Hyderabad and also its supplier Dynamatic Technologies’ facility in Bengaluru.

Pointing out that India offers tremendous opportunities, Goyal said in a post on X, “Also, encouraged their plans to further deepen collaboration and increase investments in India, a testament to the strength and potential of India’s aerospace sector.”

India is a significant market for Airbus in civil aviation and defence segments as it already sources more than $1.4 billion worth of services and components from the country.

An Airbus spokesperson, quoted by PTI, stated on September 25 that the board’s visit represents a significant milestone, emphasising India’s importance as a critical hub for global operations. “We have already crossed the milestone of sourcing over $1.4 billion in components and services annually. We are on track to significantly increase that figure, as we continue to further integrate India into our global value chain.”

The spokesperson also said that Airbus’ investments in India are deepening across the board, from growing engineering and digital centres in Bengaluru, which are integral to its worldwide operations, to expanding its industrial footprint.

Airbus is also setting up two Final Assembly Lines (FAL) for the H125 helicopters in Vemagal, Karnataka, as well as the C295 military aircraft is being established in Vadodara, Gujarat. Both FALs are being set up with Tata Advanced Systems Ltd.

IndiGo and Air India together have placed orders for more than 1,000 planes with Airbus.

In March, Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury said their annual sourcing of components and services from India will touch $2 billion before 2030.

Despite the global trend of SUVs and GST 2.0 era, hatchbacks will maintain their market relevance across the auto industry, the Federation of Automobile Dealers Associations (FADA) said.

“This ‘SUVisation’ of the industry is happening throughout the world. It is not because India has bad roads…this whole thing about SUVs is not going to go away. It is going to be there for quite some time to come,” FADA President CS Vigneshwar said.

He also added that while SUVs give a purpose of comfort, style and safety, “hatches will have their own space because some people still want the hatches”.

Vigneshwar said many car makers are still offering multiple products in small car segment which in turn keep the market alive through competition unlike in the mid-size sedan segment, which has been squeezed.

“SUVs in every category, and hatchbacks in one or two categories, you will have literally every OEM with multiple products sometimes. So, this is going to happen. Hatches will exist, and SUVs will exist,” Vigneshwar said.

India’s largest carmaker Maruti Suzuki India, which grabs a top position in the small car segment, expects about 10 per cent growth in the segment after the GST rate reduction, its rival Hyundai Motor India feels that micro SUVs like Exter and Punch will grow at the cost of hatchbacks as consumer preference has evolved.

Also Read: Consumers Can Soon Switch LPG Suppliers Like Mobile Numbers

After a sharp sell-off last week, which analysts said was sentiment-driven since US tariffs target branded and patented drugs while Indian exports are largely generic, pharma stocks recovered.

Out of the 20 index stocks, 15 advanced, led by Sun Pharma, Lupin, Cipla, Zydus Life, Biocon, Granules India, Torrent Pharma, Laurus Labs, Aurobindo Pharma, and Glenmark Pharma, which gained up to 2 percent.

The sell-off was triggered by US President Donald Trump’s announcement of 100 percent tariffs on branded and patented drugs starting October 1, part of its broader push to onshore pharma manufacturing, create jobs, and cut foreign reliance.

Also Read: Sensex rises 200 pts, Nifty above 24,700 after 6-day slide

After a six-day losing streak, Indian markets opened higher on September 29 with gains in IT and pharma stocks supporting sentiment.

The market recovery comes despite continued Foreign Institutional Investor selling, with FIIs offloading equities worth ₹5,687 crore on Friday and ₹30,143 crore in September so far.

Analysts, however, remain cautious as volatility persists and resistance levels weigh on the Nifty’s upside momentum

Support came in from IT, auto, pharma, and metal stocks. The rebound follows last week’s nearly 3 percent fall when tariffs and visa hike news dampened sentiment.

The Sensex rose 240.87 points, or 0.30 percent, to 80,667.33, while the Nifty gained 81.50 points, or 0.33 percent, to 24,736.20, on Monday.

Also Read: Pharma stocks rebound as tariff fears ease; Sun Pharma, Lupin, Cipla lead gains

The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) has opposed former stock market operator Ketan Parekh’s application seeking permission to travel abroad for four months.

Parekh, who was barred from the markets for 14 years for his role in the 2000-2001 securities scam, requested permission to travel to the UK, UAE, Singapore, Thailand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, the European Union, and Georgia for a family vacation and to attend two weddings.

SEBI cited Parekh’s “history of misusing” foreign travel permissions to carry out fraudulent trades via WhatsApp groups. It alleged that Parekh harbours a “sinister motive” to evade surveillance, skip court proceedings, and “settle in a foreign country” to execute plans that could harm the country’s economy and investors.

Parekh, who continues to face criminal charges before a special SEBI court in Mumbai, also cited the health condition of his elder daughter, saying both his daughters live in the UK and that he wished to spend quality time with them.

In a response filed earlier this month, SEBI opposed the plea, referring to an ex parte interim order issued in January 2025 by a whole-time member of the regulator that again debarred Parekh, along with two others, for alleged front-running. The order said Parekh had passed on time-sensitive, non-public information within minutes to Singapore-based associate Rohit Salgaocar, enabling illegal profits for the frontrunners.

Special Judge R M Jadhav is expected to pronounce an order on Parekh’s plea on Tuesday.