Wings of reconnection: India-China direct flights resume after 5-year gap

KOLKATA: India and China are reconnecting with the resumption of direct flights after a 5-year gap! The IndiGo flight 6E1703 took off from Kolkata’s Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport, marking a significant improvement in bilateral relations.

The IndiGo flight departed from Kolkata Airport at 10.07 PM, with the Airport Director of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport sharing a video of the flight take off.

The Airbus A320 departed for Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport, carrying 176 passengers and is scheduled to arrive at 4:05 AM.

The move aims to facilitate trade, tourism, and people-to-people connections. IndiGo will operate daily non-stop flights between Kolkata and Guangzhou. Additional flights between Delhi and Guangzhou start on November 10, while the Shanghai-Delhi route will resume on November 9.

The resumption of direct flights signals an improvement in the bilateral relations between the two countries and is meant to facilitate trade and people-to-people connections. The flights were earlier suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing in heavy travel restrictions.(AGENCIES)