Harbin, China's northernmost metropolis in Heilongjiang province, seeks to build an international aviation hub and attract more international routes, officials and experts said Thursday.

"A Harbin international aviation hub is one of 10 international aviation hubs determined by the State during the nation's 13th Five-Year Plan (2016-20), and the only one in the northeastern region," said Li Haitao, executive vice- governor of Heilongjiang province, adding that the provincial government is determined to develop the hub, as an accelerator to revive China's northeastern region.

He also noted that it is a way for Heilongjiang to participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and the China-Mongolia-Russia economic corridor.

"It will be significant to form an airway and economic corridor between China's northwestern region, even Asia's northeastern area, and North America. It is also Harbin's strategic choice to further open up," he said.

Because of its geographic advantage, the aviation transport distance between Harbin and North America is the shortest among all Chinese cities, even those in the southeastern region, said Yao Jinjin, a researcher from the China Academy of Civil Aviation Science and Technology.

If a plane departs from Harbin and traverses the polar region to the United States, it will reduce three hours compared to flights leaving Beijing, and also save fuel costs of up to 150,000 yuan ($21,828), Yao said.

"The route has potential in the market,” she said.

Harbin Taiping International Airport operates 185 routes, including 19 international ones.

In 2017, the airport handled 18.81 million passengers, ranking it at the top of the northeastern region and 21st nationwide.

"It is expected to handle 42 million passengers in 2025 and 80 million passengers in 2035," the vice governor said, adding that the city will be the gateway of China and northeastern Asia to North America.

Harbin now serves as China's gateway to Russia, operating routes to nine Russian cities, including Moscow and Yekaterinburg. After Beijing, it is the Chinese city with the most aviation routes to Russian cities.

In 2002, Harbin became the fourth Chinese city to open a direct route to the US with a Shanghai-Harbin-Los Angeles flight. In May, it opened chartered freight flights between Los Angeles to Harbin, a first in China's northeastern region.

The city released a strategic plan to build an international aviation hub in July.

According to the plan, in 2019 the city will open routes to three cities: San Francisco, Los Angeles and Anchorage, a city in Alaska. In 2020, it will open direct flights to New York, Seattle and Toronto.