One by one, the flight crew of Air China Cargo's Boeing 747 freighter stepped out of the plane and onto the radiating heat of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's tarmac.

Crewmembers smiled and snapped photos marking the completion of one of the first long-haul cargo flights from Beijing to Dallas-Fort Worth.

Starting this week, Air China Cargo began three weekly flights between Beijing and D/FW Airport. The addition of a seventh Asian cargo carrier to D/FW demonstrates the ever-increasing trade between the two economies.

Air China Cargo and D/FW Airport executives met Thursday night at D/FW Airport to celebrate the new cargo service that began June 17.

The new service will bring an estimated $10.5 million of annual economic impact to the North Texas region, said Bill Frainey, assistant vice president of marketing for D/FW International Airport.

Dallas is not a traditional "gateway" from China like Los Angeles, Chicago or New York, he said.

However, since 1993, international cargo to D/FW has increased fourfold, according to D/FW monthly flight activity reports.

In Dallas-Fort Worth, goods being shipped via air cargo include time-sensitive and high-value products, such as cellphones, pharmaceuticals and other technologies, as well as apparel, Frainey said.

Globally, air cargo has increased 6 to 7 percent annually over the last 30 years, according to Bob Dahl, project director of Air Cargo Management Group.

However, cargo flights out of China to the United States have increased 15 to 20 percent annually in the last five years, he said.