ATRAN Airlines, Volga-Dnepr Group’s express cargo unit, is set to expand its air cargo services in China after adding a weekly flight between Shijiazhuang and Moscow, a press release confirmed. 

With Russia seeing more online orders amidst closed shops and restricted movement due to the lockdown, second-tier cities like Shijiazhuang and Xi’an have benefited as e-commerce suppliers looked to expand to meet the growing demand. 

ATRAN’s cargo services are increasingly being sought after as belly capacities dropped with fewer passenger flights, and ATRAN said it saw a spike in e-commerce volumes in the first six months, with help from stable customer contracts. 

The Russian express air cargo carrier transported 15 tonnes of online purchases on its first flight from Moscow to Shijiazhuang, and said it will deploy narrow-body Boeing 737-400 and B737-800 freighters. 

Shijiazhuang is the latest addition to ATRAN’s Chinese network, which includes Xi’an, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Urumqi and Zhengzhou.