MIAT - Mongolian Airlines (OM, Ulaanbaatar) took delivery of its initial B737-700 on May 10. The aircraft in question is A4O-BO (msn 33103) equipped in a two class configuration with 102 Economy and 12 Business Class seats. MIAT has sub-leased the Air Lease Corporation owned aircraft from Oman Air (WY, Muscat) for a period of two years.
According to Mongolian News Agency Montsame, the Mongolian airline plans to use the aircraft for new routes such as Ulaanbaatar-Busan scheduled to start on May 22. MIAT's European ACMI sales partner Zela Aviation has told ch-aviation that flights to Bangkok, Thailand would also be planned from November onwards.
MIAT already operates three B737-800s alongside two B767-300(ER) widebodies. It currently serves Beijing Capital, Berlin Tegel, Frankfurt International, Hong Kong International, Moscow Sheremetyevo, Osaka Kansai, Seoul Incheon and Tokyo Narita.
Oman Air has therefore ended B737-700 operations given this was the Omani national carrier's only B737-700 aircraft in its fleet. Its narrowbody fleet now consists of twenty-four B737-800s and five B737-900(ER)s, although it has told Air Transport World that it also plans to sub-lease out two B737-800s not currently required.
