Post-communist era
In 1992, MIAT bought five Chinese Harbin Y-12 commuter aircraft for domestic flights. The same year, the president of the Hanjin Group (parent of Korean Air) gave a Boeing 727-200 to the airline, with two more acquired in subsequent years. These three aircraft were used until 2003.[6] In 1993, MIAT was made into an independent state-owned enterprise.[4]
International operations outside of the Soviet Union and China started in 1995 with regular flights to Seoul, followed by flights to Berlin and Osaka in 1996.[5]
An Airbus A310 was leased in 1998, becoming MIAT's first Airbus plane.
The 1990s were a spotty era in MIAT's safety record, with four crashes of An-2, An-24, And Harbin Y-12 aircraft involving 139 fatalities. The last fatal crash was in 1998.[7]
A Boeing 737 was leased in 2002 to replace the ageing 727-200 fleet, and the same year flights to Tokyo were introduced.[5]
Between 2003 and 2008, MIAT's An-24 and An-26 fleet was gradually retired. In April 2008, MIAT received its second Boeing 737-800 aircraft on lease from CIT Aerospace.[8] 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 by replacing the CEO and Technical Director.
In early 2011, MIAT signed an agreement with Air Lease Corporation to lease two former China Eastern Airlines Boeing 767-300ERs until 2013. The first aircraft entered service in May 2011 with the second following in November 2011.[9] In 2014, the Airbus A310 was retired after serving MIAT Mongolian Airlines for 16 years.
