Incheon-Ulaanbaatar Air Route Expands... Weekly Seats Increased to 5,000 Starting Next Year

August 2-3 Korea-Mongolia Aviation Talks Held
9 Additional Weekly Flights During Peak Season Starting Next Year

The Nadam Festival, the largest event in Mongolia, is held every year on July 11 in the capital city, Ulaanbaatar. The festival features three main competitions: horse racing, archery, and Mongolian wrestling.

[Asia Economy Reporter Kangwook Cho] The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on the 4th that it held a Korea-Mongolia aviation meeting in Incheon on the 2nd and 3rd, and signed an MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) to increase the supply capacity of direct passenger flights on the Incheon-Ulaanbaatar route.

Mongolia has long been one of the popular travel destinations for Korean citizens, with the Incheon-Ulaanbaatar route seeing about 400,000 air passengers annually between the two countries (based on 2019), and recently recording a high average annual growth rate of 6.8% (2015?2019).

The route, which was previously operated solely by Korean Air, was opened to Asiana Airlines in January 2019 through the Korea-Mongolia aviation meeting, transitioning to a competitive system.

However, even so, during peak seasons the load factor reached 90%, causing high airfares and chronic ticket shortages, resulting in inconvenience for citizens of both countries.

Through this aviation meeting, both countries agreed to significantly increase the air supply capacity on the Incheon-Ulaanbaatar route from the current limit of 2,500 seats per week per country to 5,000 seats per week per country during the peak season (June to September) starting next year.

Within the increased weekly 2,500-seat range, existing and new airlines can operate an additional 9 flights per week.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport explained that this creates a foundation for new airlines to enter the market alongside the currently operating Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, and for existing airlines to expand their operations.

Additionally, both countries agreed to actively cooperate in supporting urgent air travel for expatriates traveling between the two countries during the COVID-19 era and the transportation of quarantine supplies to Mongolia.

Yoon Jin-hwan, Director of Aviation Policy at the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, said, “The increase in supply capacity on the Incheon-Ulaanbaatar route will provide an opportunity for our airlines, which have faced difficulties due to COVID-19, to expand operations after overcoming the pandemic,” adding, “We expect that tourists, international students, and businesspeople from both countries, who have experienced inconvenience due to high airfares and ticket shortages, will be able to travel more conveniently between the two countries.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.