State-owned flag carrier MIAT Mongolian Airlines has taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.
The jet, currently registered EI-MGL (c/n 60326), was handed over on August 11 and is on lease from Irish lessor AerCap.
The four-year-old widebody is the first of two examples due for the airline as part of its “phased fleet renewal plan”.
Golf Lima was originally delivered new to Suparna Airlines – a Shanghai-based carrier which is part of the Hainan Airlines Group – in July 2019 and served with the operator until it was withdrawn from use and stored at Shanghai/Pudong airport in August 2022.
Powered by two General Electric GEnx-1B turbofans, the twinjet is configured in a 292-seat three-class layout with 30 business, 36 premium economy and 226 economy seats.
The jet entered service on August 12 and has operated two return trips between Ulaanbaatar/Chinggis Khaan and Seoul/Incheon since then. MIAT says it plans to initially operate its Dreamliners to Frankfurt and Istanbul. It has also expressed an interest in flying to the United States once it receives approvals to do so.
The flag carrier’s second 787 is expected to arrive in the first quarter of next year.
MIAT currently operates an eight-strong fleet comprising three 737-800s, and single examples of the following: 737-8, 757-200, 767-300 and Bombardier CRJ-200.
