New Ulaanbaatar International Airport LLC (NUBIA), which operates Chinggis Khaan International Airport, has signed a memorandum of understanding with Hokkaido Airports Co., Ltd. to expand cooperation between the two countries’ aviation sectors, with an eye toward opening new flight routes connecting Mongolia and Hokkaido.

Under the memorandum, Hokkaido Airports, which operates New Chitose, Wakkanai, Kushiro, Hakodate, Asahikawa, Obihiro and Memanbetsu airports, will work with NUBIA on airport management, human resource development in civil aviation, exchange of experience, and the creation and promotion of new air routes.

NUBIA called the agreement an important step in elevating cooperation between the Mongolian and Japanese aviation sectors, adding that it would support tourism, economic ties and human resource development in both countries.

Chinggis Khaan International Airport, located roughly 50 kilometers southwest of Ulaanbaatar, began operations in July 2021 after years of delay, replacing the capital’s former Buyant-Ukhaa airport. It was built with Japanese ODA loan financing and is run by NUBIA, a joint venture in which Japan Airport Management LLC, backed by Mitsubishi Corporation, Narita International Airport Corporation, Japan Airport Terminal Co. and JALUX, holds a 51 percent stake, with the remaining 49 percent held by the Mongolian state-owned Khushig Valley Airport LLC, under a 15-year concession contract.

Hokkaido Airports was established in 2019 as a consortium of 17 Hokkaido-based and outside companies under one of Japan’s largest airport privatization concessions, bundling the operation of seven airports across the region, including New Chitose, the country’s fifth-largest airport by passenger traffic. Hokkaido is one of Japan’s most visited destinations among Mongolian and other international tourists, known for its winter sports, hot springs and seasonal scenery, but currently has no direct air link with Ulaanbaatar.