Air China to launch Mumbai-Beijing direct flight

NEWS DELHI: Air China today said it will start a direct flight from Mumbai to Beijing from October 25, as the Chinese carrier seeks to strengthen its route network in India.

The flight would operate four times a week and there would also be return flights with the same frequency.

"The strategic move of Air China is a step to strengthen its existing route network in India," the Chinese national carrier said in a statement.

It noted that there has been a significant increase in people travelling to China from Mumbai in the last couple of years.

"Air China will also offer good and seamless connectivity to all destinations in Mainland China, USA, Canada, Korea, Japan and Far East Asia," the statement said.

Separately, budget carrier Tigerair today said it would operate three direct flights every week from Singapore to Lucknow from December 3.

The Singapore-based airline said the flights to Lucknow would be operated on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays.

Tigerair already flies to the south Indian cities of Chennai, Bengaluru, Trichy, Hyderabad and Kochi.

"Lucknow is our first destination in our route map from north India. We hope that the direct flights from Lucknow to Singapore will be helpful to boost tourism between the two countries," said Teh Yik Chuan, Sales and Marketing Director, Tigerair Singapore.