Two international airlines are set to roll out special services for Indian passengers in Mumbai and Delhi this Sunday.
Air China, the Chinese national passenger airline, is set to launch direct flights between Beijing and Mumbai, which will help commuters cover the distance in seven hours.
The Beijing-Mumbai flights will be launched on Sunday, Xinhua reported. Flights between the Indian and Chinese commercial hubs would otherwise make stops at either Hong Kong or Bangkok.
On the same day, Singapore Airlines will launch a premium economy class flight from Singapore to Delhi, according to reports. It will launch a similar service for flights to Mumbai from January.
Air China has said that it has started the direct flight due to the increase in the number of people travelling to China from Mumbai.
However, Mumbai is not the only commercial city that Air China is launching direct flights for.
The Chinese state carrier is also launching flights to Sri Lankan capital Colombo, Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur and to Islamabad and Karachi in Pakistan.
In its press release, Air China said that its flights to Pakistan were a response to China's 'strategic moves in the region'.
"China and Pakistan have been very good friends since the establishment of diplomatic relationships in 1951. As a timely response to the Chinese government's strategic moves in the region, Air China's Beijing-Islamabad-Karachi service will be a worthy addition to the "One Belt, One Road" platform and further solidify the friendship and trading and cultural exchanges between the two countries, contributing to the local economic growth," China's state carrier said.
