Two of the world's most populous countries are now connected by air for the first time in their history.

The landing of a China Eastern Airlines passenger plane from Beijing at India's New Delhi Airport Thursday marked the occasion when direct flights between China and India took off.

China's aviation officials and business representatives became the first customers of the new air route.

Another air route linking Shanghai and New Delhi will be launched next week.

Shanghai-based China Eastern Airlines was appointed by the Chinese government to operate the two weekly flights along the routes.

The Beijing and New Delhi flight will be available each Monday.

It takes off at 20:00 Beijing time, and arrives at New Delhi at 0:25 local time. The plane returns to Beijing at 10:15 in the morning.

On the Shanghai route, the aircraft leaves for New Delhi at 22:00 and arrives at 2:20 local time each Thursday. It returns to Shanghai at 12:30 on Friday.

An Airbus 300 airplane is flying the route.

Wang Yajun, official with China Eastern, said they arranged the flight timetable for customer convenience.

"India's temperatures are quite hot during the daytime so we ensured our planes would arrive there during the night when temperatures fall," he said.

Wang said the return schedule was devised so it connected closely with daily flights to the United States, where many India-born people live.

"By transferring in Shanghai or Beijing, our customers can save three to four hours of travel time," Wang said.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said the first direct flight between China and India is a major event in bilateral relations.

"It not only facilitates personnel exchanges between the two countries but also promotes understanding and exchange among the two peoples," Zhang said.

(China Daily March 29, 2002)