An international flight connecting Harbin, the capital city of China's northernmost Heilongjiang province, to Khabarovsk in Russia officially started operating on Jan 10.
 
It is the first international flight added by the Harbin Taiping International Airport since the Chinese health authorities announced the downgrading of COVID-19 from a category A disease to a category B disease starting Jan 8.
 
The downgrade means that inbound travelers will no longer have to undergo quarantine or take nucleic acid tests upon arrival. But they are required to test negative for the virus at least 48 hours before boarding and wear masks onboard.
 
This newly-opened flight is the second of its kind from Heilongjiang to Khabarovsk.
 
Passengers will board a B737-800 aircraft that is operated by Hainan Airlines. It is scheduled to run every Tuesday.
 
The opening of this flight is expected to effectively enhance the international exchanges, business contacts and tourism consumption between the two countries. Also, it will further facilitate the steady cooperation between Northeast China and the Russian Far East.
 
In order to meet the needs of inbound and outbound passengers, Harbin airport will resume and increase international routes that were open before the COVID-19 outbreak in a steady and orderly manner.