Kolkata calling Guangzhou: After 5 yrs, 1st direct flight to China

KOLKATA: Monica Liu lives and breathes Beijing, the 'Tangra-style' Chinese restaurant that is the beating heart of weekends in Kolkata's Chinatown. But on Sunday night, Guangzhou was on her mind.

For the first time in five years, she was on a direct flight from the city she calls home to the country of her ancestors. Liu was among the first of 176 passengers to board IndiGo's resurrected Kolkata-Guangzhou flight that bridged the gap in direct air connectivity between India and China, triggered by Covid pandemic and extended by the diplomatic frost following border clashes in 2020. For someone who once travelled frequently between the two countries to visit relatives, the wait felt longer than five years for Liu.

"I am flying to meet some of my relatives back in China. I was a frequent flyer between Kolkata and China prior to Covid. Now that direct connectivity is back, I wish to resume regular travel," she said. The Airbus A320 Neo departed at 10pm, just over a fortnight ahead of IndiGo starting its Delhi-Guangzhou service on Nov 10. China Eastern Airlines is scheduled to resume its Shanghai-Delhi flight a day earlier. More than 40 weekly flights once linked Indian metros with Shanghai, Guangzhou and Kunming.

All were suspended in 2020. Union govt's decision to reopen tourist visas for Chinese nationals paved the way for flights to resume, with Delhi and Beijing agreeing in principle to restore air services during foreign secretary Vikram Misri's trip in Jan. PM Narendra Modi's visit to China in late-Aug, his first in seven years, saw him and Chinese President Xi Jinping stress that the two countries should be seen as partners in development rather than competitors. For Arjun Gupta, a New Town businessman running a restaurant and electronics unit in China, resumption of direct flights translates into saving time and money. "Past five years, we were forced to take a detour via Delhi and Bangkok to reach China. It was not only tiring but also extremely costly. I had to limit my travels. This direct flight takes only three-and-a-half hours and is also considerably cheaper." Pinal Gandhi flew in from Ahmedabad just to catch the inaugural flight.

"This is the best thing that could have happened to my business in recent weeks. I have to travel frequently to China because of a business expansion." IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers said, "This will once again allow seamless movement of people, goods and ideas, while also strengthening bilateral ties between 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 to China." Kolkata airport director Pravat Ranjan Beuria and many senior IndiGo officials attended a ceremony before departure, where Liu lit a ceremonial lamp.