NEW DELHI, 29 March — History was made at the Indian Gandhi International Airport here at 5:50 p.m. yesterday when a China Eastern Airlines’ Airbus 340 touched down with thunderous roar, opening direct air-link with India for the first time.
The arrival of the inaugural Chinese airline flight ushers in a new era in aviation and diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries.
Traveling to India aboard the Beijing-New Delhi flight, China’s Vice Minister for Civil Aviation Administration Bao Peide said the opening of the air-link between India and China would greatly benefit both countries.
“The opening up of the flight services would strengthen the bilateral relations between the two great nations and help foster contact in all fields, including technology, education and culture,” he said.
“I am very excited to be here and I sincerely hope that this would benefit both India and China... it’s a win-win situation.”
Bao is heading a 66-member strong delegation of government officials and business people with him.
Indian External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh left for China yesterday on a five-day visit on the Delhi-Beijing flight, on an invitation extended by Chinese Premier Zhu Rongji during his India visit.
Jaswant’s trip will also take him to South Korea and Burma. During his discussions with the Chinese leaders he will also finalize plans for Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee’s visit to Beijing later this year.
Jaswant will hold talks Rongji and Foreign Minister Tang Jiaxuan on countering terrorism, the regional security situation and bilateral trade.
Bao said the decision to open a direct link between China and India has resulted from the constant expansion of bilateral cooperation and exchanges in many areas.
Two-way trade between India and China has maintained two-digit growth over the recent years with last year’s total reaching $3 billion. According to Chinese aviation officials, China Eastern Airlines will operate two flights — one connecting New Delhi and Shanghai every Friday and the second one connecting New Delhi and Beijing every Tuesday — every week.
“We would definitely increase the frequency of the services once we achieve a critical user volume,” said Chris Zhou, deputy director (foreign affairs office) of China Eastern Airlines.
“We are also looking at connecting more Indian cities in the next few months. We are very bullish on the Indian market.”
The direct flights of New York and Hong Kong-listed China Eastern Airlines would be a boon to bilateral trade and economic cooperation, Chris added. “It’s a big event in the history of the relations between the two countries,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said.
“The direct air link will not only facilitate the personnel exchanges of the two countries, but also will promote communication and understanding between the two countries and two peoples. We hope that this air link can serve as a bond connecting the two peoples in a bond of friendship.”
Zhang added that China believes the visit by Jaswant will be of “great importance” in promoting good relations between Asia’s two largest countries.
“We believe this visit will yield positive results ...,” Zhang said during a routine news briefing.
