A Russian-made TU-204 all-cargo aircraft brightly painted with the Chinese flag and the logo of China International Cargo Transport Ltd. (Air China Cargo) arrived in Tianjin at 11:45 am, Oct. 28th. This is the first Russian-made aircraft to re-enter the civil aviation market in China after Russian-made TU-154 planes withdrew from the Chinese market at the end of 2000. Prior to the arrival of the aircraft in Tianjin, Li Huxiao, Chairman of Air China Cargo and the Vice President of Air China, Yao Jun, General Manager of Air China Cargo, and Huang Dengke, Director-General of CAAC North China Regional Administration went to Ulyanovsk, Russia to conduct handover procedures with the Russian party.

According to sources, Air China Cargo plans to launch TU-204 all-cargo aircrafts on flight routes from Tianjin to Hong Kong, Japan and South Korea to improve the competitiveness of its international cargo flight originating in Tianjin and to meet the service needs of clients in Northern China and Southeast Asia. This initiative will certainly bring new international trade opportunities to the city of Tianjin.