United Airlines opened the Tokyo/Narita-Ulaanbaatar route on May 1.
As a beyond rights route with the same flight number as the UA6 and 7 flights connecting Tokyo/Narita and Houston, a Boeing 737-800 will operate three round trips per week until October. This route to Mongolia marks the first of its kind by a U.S. airline.
UA7 to Ulaanbaatar departs Tokyo/Narita at 6:30 PM and arrives at 8:55 PM. UA6 to Tokyo/Narita departs Ulaanbaatar at 9:55 AM, arriving at 3:45 PM. The Tokyo/Narita-bound flight takes 3 hours and 25 minutes, while the Ulaanbaatar-bound flight takes 4 hours and 50 minutes. The operating days for Tokyo/Narita are Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday. Ulaanbaatar flights operate on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Also operating on this route are MIAT Mongolian Airlines and Aero Mongolia.
▲UA7 to Ulaanbaatar departing from Narita Airport (Boeing 737-800, Aircraft Registration: N35260)
A commemorative ceremony was held at Narita Airport attended by United Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning & Alliances, Patrick Quayle, Mongolian Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Japan, Banzragch Bayarsaikhan, and Narita International Airport Corporation’s (NAA) President Akihiko Tamura. A traditional sake barrel breaking ceremony celebrated the new route. Passengers enjoyed cupcakes inspired by Mongolia.
United Airlines is expanding its beyond rights routes based from Tokyo/Narita using equipment and crew based in Guam. They opened the Cebu route on October 27, 2024. The Ulaanbaatar route is their second such route. They plan to open the Kaohsiung route on July 11 and also plan to open the Koror route during the summer schedule.
▲United Airlines’ Senior Vice President of Global Network Planning & Alliances, Patrick Quayle, speaking to the press at Narita Airport
On the other hand, flights from Osaka/Kansai and Nagoya/Chubu to Guam are being reduced in the summer schedule. Senior Vice President Quayle indicated, “If demand from regional cities to Guam is declining, we need to allocate capacity elsewhere,” suggesting the utilization of resources from reduced flights to further strengthen the beyond rights routes from Tokyo/Narita.
