HARBIN, June 6 (Xinhua) -- A direct air route connecting Qiqihar in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province with Vladivostok in Russia will be launched next month, the Qiqihar authorities said Wednesday.

The route, scheduled to begin service on July 10, will use a CRJ900 aircraft. The service will be operated by China Express Airlines every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday with a flight time of 1.5 hours.

Qiqihar is an industrial base in the western part of Heilongjiang, which borders Russia.