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来源: Ecns.cn
(ECNS) -- Flight 6E1703 landed in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, on early Monday morning, marking the resumption of direct flights between the Chinese mainland and India after a five-year hiatus.
The inaugural direct flight, operated by IndiGo — India's largest carrier by market share — departed from Kolkata, the capital city of India's eastern state of West Bengal, at 10:07 p.m. local time and arrived in Guangzhou after a journey of just over three hours, significantly reducing the travel time.Previously, travelers often had to transit through hubs like the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), Singapore, or even Dubai.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun on Friday said that the resumption of direct flights between China and India is the latest move that demonstrates how the two sides faithfully act on the important common understandings reached between the leaders of the two countries in Tianjin.
"It's also an active move that facilitates the friendly exchanges of over 2.8 billion Chinese and Indian people," Guo said.
According to Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, the resumption of direct flights is warmly welcomed by Indian business communities.
Many prominent Indian enterprises benefit from China-India economic cooperation and expect improved bilateral relations, Liu said.
Rajeev Singh, director general at the Indian Chamber of Commerce, stated that the direct flight route will reduce logistics and transit time, thereby benefiting commercial activities.
(By Zhang Dongfang)