HARBIN, Feb. 22 -- The airport in the northeastern border city of Suifenhe in Heilongjiang Province, the country's largest contributor to trade with Russia, is expected to go into operation in 2019, local authorities said.

According to the feasibility plan, approved by the central government, the airport will include a 2,500-meter-long runway and a 4,500-square-meter terminal.

The domestic regional airport will handle 450,000 passengers and 3,600 tonnes of cargo by 2025, according to the Suifenhe municipal government.

It will cost about 944 million yuan (153 million U.S. dollars) .

According to Deputy Suifenhe Mayor Wu Qinglan, who is also project administration office head, construction will start at the end of 2016.

Suifenhe is in Heilongjiang's southeast and neighbors Russia. About 80 percent of Heilongjiang cargo imports and exports are through Suifenhe.

In 2013, Suifenhe became the first Chinese city to trial the use of the Russian ruble alongside the Renminbi.