IANS

Bangalore, Mar 1: Chinese national carrier Air China Sunday connected India's tech hub Bangalore with Shanghai and also provided a direct service to Chengdu in Sichuan province, showcased as a major IT hub and outsourcing destination in China.

Preferring Bangalore over Mumbai and Kolkata, Air China's maiden flight flew in to the international airport here late Saturday and left for Shanghai via Chengdu in the wee hours of Sunday.

"Though there was stiff competition from other Indian cities, Air China chose Bangalore as its second Indian destination after New Delhi to connect the commercial city of Shanghai and IT hub Chengdu with India's tech city," Karnataka tourism director Vishwanath Reddy told reporters late Sunday.

Air China will operate a Boeing 757 twice a week Thursday and Sunday between Shanghai and Bangalore via Chengdu.

"The direct service will reduce flight journey to five hours as against 11 hours via Hong Kong and Singapore," Stic travel group chairman Subhas Goyal said on the occasion.

The maiden flight also brought a 50-member high-level business delegation from Chengdu to Bangalore for an investment conference with Indian IT firms.

"Six-seven airlines have started their services to Bangalore, while Emirates increased its frequency, thanks to significant demand for the Bangalore sector," Reddy said.

Air China will also facilitate greater tourist traffic flow to Karnataka from key markets like Japan, Korea and North America with connecting flights from Shanghai and Beijing.

The carrier will also provide seamless connectivity at Shanghai to Indian passengers heading to the US west coast, Korea, Japan and Australia.

"We are offering a promotional fare of Rs.20,625 for a return ticket between Bangalore and Shanghai till May 31," an Air China official said.