A New Direct Air Link
Travel between Mongolia and India has become easier with a new direct air connection between the two capitals. Hunnu Air, a Mongolian airline, began operating a seasonal weekly service between Ulaanbaatar and Delhi on 28 September 2026, with flights every Monday during the winter schedule.
Until now, most travellers between the two countries have had to rely on connecting flights. The new service offers a simpler option for tourists, business visitors, students and families, while also giving tour operators more flexibility in planning shorter itineraries and group travel.
Mongolia for Indian Travellers
For Indian travellers, Mongolia offers experiences that are still relatively unfamiliar in the Indian market. Beyond Ulaanbaatar are the open steppe, the Gobi Desert, Lake Khövsgöl and the mountains of western Mongolia. Visitors can stay in traditional gers, visit Buddhist monasteries and experience Mongolia’s horse culture and pastoral way of life.
The Naadam Festival brings together wrestling, horse racing and archery, while western Mongolia is known for the eagle-hunting tradition of its Kazakh community. The Gobi offers another side of the country, with striking desert scenery and important dinosaur fossil sites.
Tourism Momentum
Mongolia welcomed around 846,000 international visitors in 2025 and generated about USD 1.6 billion in tourism revenue, according to the Ministry of Culture, Sports, Tourism and Youth. The Government aims to increase international arrivals to two million and tourism export revenue to USD 4 billion by 2030.
For the Indian market, the Delhi connection makes Mongolia easier to reach. It also creates better conditions for tour operators in both countries to develop cultural tours, Buddhist travel, nature and adventure programmes, as well as business and conference visits.
Oil Refinery Moves Forward
The Mongolia-India oil refinery project, highlighted in the previous issue, has continued to make progress. Mongolia’s first oil refinery is being built in Dornogobi Province with a USD 1.7 billion line of credit from India and is designed to process 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil annually.
By August 2026, construction had passed 60 per cent. Two key distillation columns manufactured in India were delivered to the project site in May and July and are being installed. The refinery is planned for commissioning in 2028.
Cooperation in New Areas
Recent official discussions have also focused on expanding cooperation beyond existing projects. In June 2026, the two sides discussed closer collaboration in information technology, artificial intelligence, digital government, mining, energy and human resource development, alongside progress on the refinery project.
These areas could create more opportunities for universities, technology companies, professionals and businesses from both countries to work together directly.
Looking Ahead
The next phase of Mongolia-India relations is becoming increasingly practical. Direct travel, major development projects and cooperation in new technologies are creating more regular links between people, institutions and businesses.
The Ulaanbaatar-Delhi route is a useful addition to that picture. It brings the two capitals closer and gives travellers and businesses a more direct way to build on a relationship that has developed steadily over many years.