OREANDA-NEWS. December 26, 2012. Chinese cargo airline Yangtze River Express started operations with technical landing at Novosibirsk International Airport (Tolmachevo). Flights on trans-Siberian route are performed three times a week on Boeing 747-400F. Landing in Novosibirsk airport allows airline to optimize flights between China and States of South-East Asia and Europe.

In 2013 Yangtze River Express plans to increase the number of flights to six a week. Airport and airline specialists are considering the possibility of commercial landings in Tolmachevo with loading and unloading operations in the future.

Eugueny Yankilevich, General Director of JSC "Airport Tolmachevo" noted that increasing the number of foreign cargo airline partners at Novosibirsk airport is the result of airfield infrastructure modernization and marketing complex. Also, skilled personnel and favorable geographical position of Novosibirsk airport are important factors that affect air carrier decision to cooperate with Tolmachevo.

Start of operations of the second largest cargo airline in China underlines the advantages of Novosibirsk airport as the largest air hub east of the Urals on major transit routes between Asia and Europe and increases the interest in him of other foreign carriers. Novosibirsk airport continues to improve its ground infrastructure, in particular, it is planned to build a modern container yard and additional aircraft parking lots with area of over 80 thousand square meters, which will be equipped to service wide-body cargo aircraft.

Novosibirsk International Airport (Tolmachevo) has two runways. The airport serves regular flights of Russian and foreign cargo airlines such as AirBridgeCargo, Aeroflot, Volga-Dnepr, Cargolux, Air Cargo Germany, Air China Cargo and others. The capacity of cargo complex Tolmachevo Cargo is 50 000 tons per year. In 2012 it is planned to handle more than 27 000 tons of cargo and mail (+28%), in 2013- 34 000 tons, in 2015 – 40 000 tons of cargo.

Yangtze River Express is one of the largest cargo airlines in China. It is a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines Group, based at Shanghai airport. Airlines fleet consists of 15 aircraft: 10 Boeing 737s and 5 Boeing 747s. The airline operates more than 200 weekly flights to 40 domestic and international destinations.