HOHHOT - Manzhouli, a major inland port in North China's Inner Mongolia autonomous region, will start hosting international flights when it opens an air route to Russia Thursday.

The route, between Manzhouli and Chita of Russia, will be run by Hainan Airlines Co Ltd, with flights scheduled on every Thursday and Sunday, a source of Manzhouli airport told Xinhua on Sunday.

The city of Manzhouli, located in the northeastern part of Inner Mongolia, borders Russia to the north and sits close to Mongolia to the west. More than 70 percent of the trade between China and Russia passes through Manzhouli.

It takes seven hours to travel between Manzhouli and Chita by car, and a dozen by train, while the flight will only take an hour, said the spokesman.

Manzhouli airport, covering an area of 212 hectares, came into use in 2005. About 76,000 passengers and 1,100 tons of cargo has arrived at or departed from the airport in 2011 to date.