Mongolia opened the doors to its long-awaited new Chinggis Khaan international airport on Sunday, offering state of the art facilities, greater in-terminal comfort and more scheduled flights. Its first inaugural flight bound for Tokyo operated by national carrier Mongolian Airlines took off at 11:50 a.m. local time (0350GMT).

Constructed with the help of the Japanese government at a cost of 65 billion Japanese yen ($585.2 million), the airport has the capacity to handle up to 2 million passengers a year. Construction began in 2013 with a completion target of around 2016-2017, but the opening was marred by construction delays.

The opening was delayed again in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. The airport is expected to increase the number of routes and flights servicing Ulaanbaatar, further enhancing the demand for Mongolia's tourism and trade. Located 50 kilometers away from capital city Ulaanbaatar, the new airport's terminal covers 35'300 square meters and the runway covers 162'000 square meters which allows bigger planes to land.

Its predecessor, Buyant Ukhaa international airport, was built in 1957 and offered limited numbers of in and out flights due to its location. Newly elected president Khurelsukh Ukhnaa and Japanese Ambassador to Mongolia Hiroyuki Kobayashi inaugurated the new airport.

The ground services for the new international airport is run by a joint venture between the Mongolian government and Japanese companies called New Ulaanbaatar International Airport (NUBIA) LLC. It is the first time that an airport in Mongolia is run by a private company under a 15-year concession contract.

On the Japanese side, the consortium includes Mitsubishi Corporation, Narita International Airport, Japan Airport Terminal Company and Jalux, according to the Japan External Trade Organization. As well as JATCo, which runs duty free and F&B outlets at Japanese airports and will oversee management of the retail operations. As the Mongolian economy grows it is faced with the task of upgrading its old infrastructure, including roads and airports. For now, however, the airport will only be receiving repatriations flights, as the country is struggling with the COVID-19 outbreak.