MIAT Plans Beijing Upgrade

MIAT Mongolian Airlines is planning to increase capacity on its Ulaan Baatar – Beijing route by half this winter, according to the first update of its Northern Winter 2011/2012 flight schedule. Last year the carrier offered eight flights per week on the route, but it is planning to maintain the current 12 times weekly service it operates through the summer for the full year.

The airline currently competes with Air China on the route; the latter offering nine flights per week. The route has witnessed significant growth in the past 12 months with traffic up to record levels. An estimated 169,000 O&D passengers travelled on the route in the last year, up 22.3 per cent on the previous year, although numbers had been decline for the past 24 months after reaching 142,000 in the year ending May 2008.

Over this period MIAT has strengthened its position in the market by boosting its share of the traffic from 52 per cent to 61 per cent as demand has grown by more than a third. The airline has also seen yields strengthen in the past 12 months with average fares peaking at $275 each way. During the two previous periods the loss in traffic was mirrored by a loss in yields with average fares declining to $226 each way in the year ending May 2009 and $210 in the 12 months to May 2010.

Schedule:

OM225 ULN0745 – 0950PEK 738 5
OM223 ULN0825 – 1030PEK 738 136
OM223 ULN1725 – 1930PEK 738 257
OM227 ULN2100 – 2305PEK 738 x257
OM228 PEK0005 – 0230ULN 738 x136
OM224 PEK1050 – 1315ULN 738 4
OM226 PEK1050 – 1315ULN 738 5
OM224 PEK1130 – 1355ULN 738 136
OM224 PEK2030 – 2255ULN 738 257