Air China Cargo and Tolmachevo International Airport have signed an agreement on bilateral cooperation. The agreement stipulates that Tolmachevo International Airport becomes the first airport in Russia where Air China Cargo will make its technical stops. As of today, the airline has already received a certificate to provide the first seven charter flights by B747-400F on the route Shanghai – Novosibirsk (Tolmachevo) – Frankfurt. In the future, the airline is planning to launch the regular service on this route.

The announcement is reminiscent of Lufthansa Cargo’s fight with Russian authorities who barred the German carrier from their airspace unless it agreed to make technical stops at Novosibirsk.