Kolkata, Oct. 26 -- Chinese Deputy Consul General in Kolkata, Qin Yong, on Sunday hailed the resumption of direct flights between India and China through the Kolkata and Guangzhou city route as a "very important day" for India-China relations, marking the first non-stop service in five years as the inaugural flight departed from Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport.

"Today is a very important day for the India-China relationship. After five years of suspension, it is a very big improvement for the bilateral relations. We expected this for a long time, and it is very important for our bilateral relations," Qin Yong told ANI at a brief ceremony held at the airport.

The IndiGo flight carried 176 passengers and was celeb...