Guwahati: Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Thursday said diplomatic relations between India and Bhutan would receive a major boost with the launch of a new international flight by Drukair-Royal Bhutan Airlines connecting Guwahati with Singapore.

He said this while participating in the ceremonial launch of this new international flight in a programme at a city hotel on Thursday.

The inaugural flight between Guwahati and Singapore will take off on Saturday from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International (LGBI) Airport here.

Sonowal said the initiative was "historic" and expressed deep appreciation for the royal government of Bhutan and Drukair-Royal Bhutan Airlines for the endeavour to connect Guwahati directly with Singapore.

He said the initiative would not only facilitate trade and people-to-people contact among Bhutan, Assam and Singapore but also contribute towards strengthening social, cultural and economic ties.

Extolling the deep-rooted relationship between India and Bhutan, Sonowal said the new initiative in aviation sector would give a major fillip to diplomatic relations between the two nations.

He said the linkages between the two countries have deep historical and civilisation roots, going back to several centuries.

"Bhutan has always been our most exotic and resourceful neighbour with its unique and vibrant ethnicity and is known for promoting peace and human values."

Stating that the Act East policy has turned the entire northeastern region into the centre of new India's growth vision and implementation, Sonowal said Bhutan should also take full advantage of this policy enunciated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for greater economic empowerment.