HARBIN -- Harbin Taiping International Airport in Northeast China's Heilongjiang province, saw robust air cargo throughput to Russia in 2021, thanks to the booming e-commerce cargo charter flight service, the airport said.

The airport handled a total of 199 cargo charter flights transporting about 6,550 tons of cargo to Russia in 2021, a year-on-year increase of more than 130 percent and a record high, according to the airport.

The airport's freight service to Ekaterinburg, Russia's fourth largest city, became China's first e-commerce cargo charter flight service to Russia when it was opened in 2013. The air logistic route helps Russian buyers save cost and delivery time when purchasing Chinese commodities via online platforms.

In 2021, the airport launched a cargo charter flight service to Moscow, with six flights on average per week.

The airport data shows that from 2013 to the end of 2021, it had seen nearly 1,000 e-commerce cargo charter flights to Russia, delivering more than 20,000 metric tons of cargo.