The government owned MIAT Mongolian airline of Mongolia, headquartered in capital Ulaanbaatar has taken delivery of the first of its two 787-9 dreamliner aircraft. The history of the airline dates back to the 1950s when it began operations and has operated various types of aircraft since then which include both Western and Soviet fleet types. Today it is an all Boeing operator.
The aircraft landed a few hours ago at Ulaanbaatar and is named Khubilai Khaan.
The airline flies to eight destinations in Mongolia and to places in China, Germany, South Korea and Turkey. The airline competes with Aero mongolia and Hunnu Air, both of which have their hubs at Chinggis Khaan International Airport, UlaanBaatar.
The aircraft and everything else
The aircraft comes as part of a long-term agreement with lessor AerCap for an operating lease for two Dreamliners. The first aircraft landed today, while the second is expected to be delivered in the first quarter of 2024. The aircraft is configured with 292 seats comprising 30 in Business Class, 262 Economy class seats. The same configuration which it had while being in service with little known Chinese carrier Suparna Airlines – a subsidiary of Hainan Airlines Group. The airline has given up its Dreamliners as the Hainan Airlines Group battles multiple financial issues across group airlines. One of the former Hainan Airlines Dreamliner is now leased by Vistara in India.
MIAT Mongolian intends to operate this aircraft on its existing routes to Frankfurt, Istanbul and Incheon with an eventual plan to operate non-stop to the U.S.A. Currently the three routes are served with the B767 in the airlines’ fleet.
The airline currently has a fleet of five passenger and one cargo aircraft. This comprises three B737-800NG, one B737 MAX8 and one B767-300ER. Its sole cargo aircraft is the B757F.
The dreamliner in question is the same aircraft which was painted in special Riyadh Air livery and made its appearance at Paris Air show this year.
The B767 which the airline currently operates has 15 seats in Business class configured with 2-1-2 and economy class in 2-3-2 with a total of 237 seats. With 30 Business class seats and 226 in economy with an additional section of premium economy, there will be a 2x jump in premium seats. The airline has never sold premium economy in the past and it needs to be seen how the airline markets this or does it sell economy class with additional frills at a fixed price.
While the airline says it plans to fly to the US, the airport will require a security clearance at UlaanBaatar airport since there are no flights to the US of A currently. This is a time consuming process and that is the reason, possibly, why the airline has delayed the delivery of its second aircraft – which would coincide with the start of operations to the USA.
Network Thoughts
UlaanBaator has its own challenges as it is at an elevation of over 4,000 feet above mean sea level. The traffic is sparse, as is the population of the country. The country has a fairly liberal visa policy – a mix of visa free, e-visa and visa on arrival for a large chunk of countries, yet the lack of direct connectivity prohibits a spike in tourism.
The 787-9 dreamliner will be a great jump in operations, experience but also expense. How will the airline re-deploy its B767 aircraft? Will this open up a window for operations to India with one or two weekly flights? Mongolia’s location is strategic and India has interests in Mongolia, connectivity only furthers the connection.
Some photos of the aircraft and its welcome in Mogolia
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