Air China is to launch direct flights between Chengdu and the Indian city of Bangalore. The connection is designed to promote exchanges in the software industry. Twice-a-week services are scheduled to start in late February 2010, reported China Daily.

Located in south India, Bangalore accounts for about a third of the country’s IT industry value, with multinational giants such as Microsoft and HP located there. For its part, Chengdu is striving to become a regional software centre. Intel and Foxconn had already opened facilities in the Sichuan capital.