A direct route linking China's economic hub Shanghai and Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, will be launched by Miat Mongolian Airlines on July 3, which is expected to enhance travel convenience and strengthen economic and trade ties between the two neighboring countries.

"The direct flight between Shanghai and Ulan Bator is a new achievement in our aviation sector, which will effectively promote tourism, trade and economic cooperation between China and Mongolia," said Bold Dorjderem, Mongolian consul general in Shanghai, during an exclusive interview with China Daily on the sideline of a celebration ceremony for the new flight on Monday.

"The decision to launch the flight connecting Ulan Bator and China's business center Shanghai is expected to attract more business and investors to Mongolia from Shanghai as well as the Yangtze River Delta region as a whole," said Bold.

According to the carrier, the new route will offer passengers more seamless connections through Shanghai.

"The introduction of the new route is projected to bring between 20 percent and 30 percent more passenger flow for the carrier's operations in China, and this would consolidate China's position as the country with the largest amount of flight connections outside Mongolia for Miat," said Badral Erdenebaatar, general manager of Miat Mongolian Airlines in China.

Badral said the Shanghai-Ulan Bator route marks the fifth direct flight inaugurated by Miat in China after Beijing, Hohhot, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

"In fact, we also have plans to launch flights to Ereenhot of the Inner Mongolia autonomous region later this year, as well as to further raise flight frequency of the Shanghai-Ulan Bator service next year," Badral said, adding that the carrier looks to attracting more transfer passengers from China with its shorter flight time and lower cost than direct flights.

Bold said that throughout 2024, 1 million passenger trips were made from Mongolia to China, while 300,000 passenger trips were made in the opposite direction, with travel demand still growing between the two countries.

The official website of the Ministry of Commerce said that in 2024, bilateral trade volume between China and Mongolia grew 8.5 percent to $19.05 billion year-on-year, accounting for 69.5 percent of Mongolia's total foreign trade during the period.

The Shanghai-Ulan Bator route departs from Shanghai Pudong International Airport and arrives at Ulan Bator's Chinggis Khaan International Airport every Thursday and Sunday (local time). The one-way flight time is about 3 hours and 50 minutes with Boeing 737 jets being used.

Based in Ulan Bator, Miat was established in 1956, and provides scheduled international service to 14 overseas and eight domestic destinations.