MIAT Mongolian Airlines extends reach to Singapore and Frankfurt with plans for Bangkok & Delhi

With five aircraft, MIAT Mongolian Airlines is North Asia's smallest flag carrier. Mongolia in recent years has gained attention for double digit economic growth, including having the world's fastest-growing economy in 2011. Growth in 1H2014 slowed to about 5%, but even if this slower pace continues, there will be demand for air services as Mongolia seeks to win back passengers carried by foreign carriers, gain business through new markets and grow tourism. Against this background MIAT Mongolian Airlines, one of only two international Mongolian carriers, is steadily growing and renewing its fleet. But MIAT now faces competition from Mongolia's second international carrier, Hunnu Airlines.

MIAT in 2014 supplemented its Moscow-Berlin service with a non-stop to Frankfurt in order to facilitate a greater range of transfers and take advantage of Frankfurt's transfer facilities, which do not require Schengen visas. MIAT's Beijing service was extended to Singapore in hopes of building business ties and also growing tourism. MIAT is considering launching flights to Bangkok and New Delhi while a new capital city airport that will open in 2016 with a transit area could give MIAT transit traffic flows from Europe to Asia over Ulaanbaatar.