Changi adds Mongolian link

SINGAPORE Changi Airport announced Thursday the arrival of MIAT Mongolian Airlines, a new service that connects Mongolia’s capital city with Singapore for the first time.
The Mongolian national carrier will operate a twice-weekly service between Ulaanbaatar and Singapore, via Beijing. The route will use a 174-seat Boeing 737-800 aircraft in a two-class configuration.
A delegation including MIAT Mongolian Airlines president and CEO, Gungaa Jargalsaikhan and other VIPs joined the inaugural flight.
They were welcomed by Her Excellency Banzragch Delgermaa, Ambassador of Mongolia to Singapore, and Changi Airport Group’s executive vice president for air hub & development, Yam Kum Weng,.
MIAT Mongolian Airlines is the fourth new carrier for Changi Airport this year, following Uzbekistan Airways and Spring Airways that launched flights in April and VietJet in May, while Ulaanbaatar becomes the third new city link this year, following Tashkent and Lanzhou.
The new Ulaanbaatar-Singapore service opens up business and tourism opportunities between Singapore and Mongolia.
In the 12-month period ending July 2014, Singapore welcomed more than 8,000 visitors from Mongolia.
With over 50 city links and close to 2,000 weekly services to Southeast Asia and Southwest Pacific, Singapore is well-positioned to be an air travel hub for travellers from Mongolia who need to connect to ASEAN cities.
MIAT Mongolian Airlines partners with other carriers operating at Changi Airport for connecting services, while it offers services from the capital city of Ulaanbaatar to Germany and Russia.
Since 2011, the country’s GDP growth has been outperforming those of developing East Asian and Pacific markets. In 2013, Mongolia recorded a strong GDP growth of 11.7%.
Bilateral trade between Singapore and Mongolia amounted to more than SGD85 million in 2012 and the new Mongolia-Singapore air bridge should extend existing bilateral economic ties and enhance people flow between the two countries.
Singaporeans, now avid world travellers, will be able to add another exotic destination to their “must-travel” list. Travellers will be drawn by Mongolia’s vast scenery and unspoilt wilderness, accented by snow-capped mountains and complemented by the renowned hospitable, nomadic culture of its people.
Mongolia is also home to three UNESCO heritage sites and history-enthusiasts can relive the story of the legendary Genghis Khan, experiencing how the Mongols built the biggest medieval empire in the world.

sourced:ttrweekly.com