Моңғол Улсын Үндэсний Авиакомпани

National airline of Mongolia

MIAT Mongolian Airlines ('/m//iː//æ//t//, // //ɑː//t/; , ) is the state owned national airline of Mongolia, headquartered in the MIAT Building in the country's capital of Ulaanbaatar. The airline operates scheduled services from its base at Chinggis Khaan International Airport in Sergelen, near Ulaanbaatar.

The start of aviation in Mongolia is attributed to 25 May 1925, when a Junkers F 13 given by the USSR to the Mongolian People's Republic landed in Ulaanbaatar. In 1946, the Civil Air Transport Department started operations with 8 aircraft. It conducted direct flights from Ulaanbaatar to nearby provinces Selenge, Bulgan, Arkhangai, Övörkhangai, Khentii, Sükhbaatar, Dornod and performed limited charter and unscheduled airmail flights to the more isolated provinces.

The first batch of Mongolian flight crew for Antonov An 2 operations were sent to Irkutsk for training in 1955, graduating the next year and paving the way for regular domestic services. Regular flights started on 7 July 1956 using an Antonov An 2 from Ulaanbaatar to Irkutsk. The Ilyushin Il 14 was introduced in 1957, and by 1958, MIAT had a fleet of 14 Antonov An 2 and 7 Ilyushin Il 14 aircraft. In 1993, MIAT was made into an independent state owned enterprise. A Boeing 737 was leased in 2002 to replace the aging 727 200 fleet, and the same year flights to Tokyo were introduced. In July 2008, MIAT ended scheduled domestic flights completely, briefly resuming scheduled domestic flights to Mörön and Khovd in June 2009. In late 2009, MIAT flew charter flights to Hong Kong and Sanya, a popular resort city in Hainan, China. In June 2010, the airline's flights were brought to a halt due to a mechanics' strike. However, the situation was resolved with the replacement of the CEO and Technical Director. In early 2011, MIAT signed an agreement with Air Lease Corporation to lease two former China Eastern Boeing 767 300ERs until 2013. The first aircraft entered service in May 2011 with the second following in November 2011. In 2011 the Airbus A310 was retired after serving MIAT Mongolian Airlines for 13 years.

In June 2011, MIAT began regular flights to Hong Kong. The company also ordered three aircraft, a Boeing 767 300ER and two Boeing 737 800s, to be delivered in 2013 and 2016 respectively. The order marks the first time in two decades that MIAT has chosen to expand its fleet by purchasing new aircraft straight from the manufacturer rather than leasing them. In January 2019, MIAT announced flights to Shanghai and Guangzhou in China to start from summer of 2019. In addition, it announced the leasing of 3 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft to be delivered in January, May, and October 2019, thereby replacing two of its aircraft whose leases were due to expire in 2019, together with the implementation of a self checking system. In 2019, it was announced that MIAT had acquired a Boeing 787 9 on lease from Air Lease Corporation, to be delivered in 2021. This was disrupted due to the COVID 19 pandemic, resulting in a modified order of 2 Boeing 787 9 to be delivered starting in 2023, with flights being planned to Shanghai Pudong, Ho Chi Minh, Singapore, and San Francisco.

During the COVID 19 pandemic on 21 June 2020, MIAT performed the first non stop flight (for repatriation and aid purposes) between Mongolia and North America in history with a Boeing 767 300 flown between Ulaanbaatar and Seattle. It performed similar repatriation and charter services during the pandemic to Sydney and Johannesburg, flying to the continents of Australia and Africa for the first time. In October 2022, MIAT became the first carrier to fly a Boeing 737 MAX into China after the latter's flight regulator grounded all 737 MAX aircraft in March 2019. Starting June 2023, MIAT resumed its domestic operations, with flights to 7 new destinations in Mongolia as well as restarting flights to Khovd and Mörön after 15 years. This was done in line with the government's program of '2023 2025 – The Years to Visit Mongolia' with the goal of promoting and supporting tourism in Mongolia. As part of this change, MIAT wet leased a Bombardier CRJ 200 and Boeing 767 to increase capacity. In August 2023 and April 2024, MIAT announced the arrival of two Boeing 787s, to be used to initially fly routes to Frankfurt, Istanbul, and Seoul. In April 2024, MIAT received its first Bombardier CRJ700 for use in domestic routes in "MIAT Regional" Branding, increasing its domestic capacity from the smaller CRJ 200.