Lanzhou-Moscow air cargo route opens, boosting trade ties

A new international air freight route between Lanzhou, capital city of northwest China's Gansu Province, and Moscow opened on Thursday with the arrival of a Tu-204 cargo aircraft from the Russian capital city, contributing to strengthening international trade links within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The Tu-204 touched down at the Lanzhou Zhongchuan International Airport later on Thursday, and departed in the early hours of Friday, carrying around 27 tons of general trade goods, including daily consumer products and mechanical parts. It transited Ulan-Ude before reaching Moscow.

The Tu-204 is scheduled to execute airlift missions on the route up to three times per week, providing a steady logistics channel between the two places.

This new route was introduced following the completion of the third phase of Lanzhou International Airport's expansion. The airport is regarded as a "new bridge of the Air Silk Road," connecting western China with East European markets and reinforcing Lanzho's role as a growing hub in international air cargo transport.

China's futures market posted robust growth in the first nine months of this year, with double-digit increases in both trading turnover and volume, according to data released by the China Futures Association (CFA) on Wednesday.

The trading volume rose by 24.2 percent year on year to about 8.384 billion lots during the January-September period, the data showed.

The association said the total trading turnover came in at 738.54 trillion yuan (about 110.34 trillion U.S. dollars) in the first three quarters of this year, increasing 34.86 percent from the same period of 2025.