CHENGDU, Sept. 15 (Xinhua) -- IndiGo Airlines would open a direct flight between Delhi and Chengdu, capital city of southwest China's Sichuan Province.

William Boulter, chief commercial officer of the Indian airline, made the announcement at Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport on Sunday. The direct flight from Chengdu to Delhi would be opened on September 16.

This was the first time for the Indian budget airline to enter the Chinese mainland market.

According to Boutler, IndiGo is the fastest growing airline in India, operating about 1,400 flights daily.

IndiGo planned to open more flights between Chinese cities and India.

At the end of 2018, China had 235 civil airports, including 37 with at least 10 million passengers annually, according to the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

China is now the world's second-largest civil aviation market. It is expected to become the world's largest by the mid-2020s, according to forecasts by the International Air Transport Association.