BEIJING, July 20  -- Air China Cargo, China's only flag-carrying cargo airline, will launch a freight service between Shanghai and the Canadian city of Edmonton, the company's first scheduled freighter destination in Canada, it announced on Monday.

With the launch of the Shanghai-Edmonton-Dallas route on September 3, Air China Cargo will be the first Chinese cargo airline to offer direct services between Shanghai and Edmonton.

Edmonton is Canada's fifth-largest municipality and capital of the state of Alberta. A key hub for its oil and natural gas industry, the city is known as "the oil capital of Canada".

"This will be first freighter route between the Chinese mainland and Alberta, and it is a key step in connecting two economies with high growth momentum," Air China Cargo Vice President Patrick Yu said.

The route will also expand Air China Cargo's network in North America, connecting Alberta and Texas, two key oil-producing regions.

The company said brand-new Boeing 777F freighters will be used on the route, which operates every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.