The New Ulaanbaatar International Airport , or the Khöshig Valley Airport is a new international airport presently under construction 52 km south of Ulaanbaatar city center in Sergelen sum, Töv Province, Mongolia. It will serve Ulaanbaatar and its metropolitan area. Originally hoped to open in 2016 but repeatedly postponed. This airport will replace and obtain the name of the current Chinggis Khaan International Airport. The New Ulaanbaatar International Airport is designed with a capacity of up to three million passengers per year, and has sufficient space for a possible future expansion, making it potentially capable of serving twelve million passengers annually. It will also be equipped with a 24-hour all-weather air traffic control system. The average annual number of passengers is estimated to be around 2.5 million. In comparison, the current airport serves about 900,000 passengers per year. Cargo capacity is set to increase ten-fold. There will be two runways, a road and rail terminal, connecting the airport with the city of Ulaanbaatar. The airport is designed with a capacity to carry 1,100 passengers per hour.
History
Development
Initial planning for the new airport was done in 2006 with Japanese assistance. In May 2008, a 40-year soft loan agreement at 0.2% interest was signed between the Government of Mongolia and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation to build a new international airport. The loan requires that the project is to be carried out by Japanese Consultants and Contractors however the materials and equipment the Contractors use can be up to 70% from any country. Between 2009 and 2011, Azusa Sekkei and Oriental Consultants Joint Venture made the design and bid documentation for the airport. In 2011, a call for bids was announced for the construction of the airport, with the Mitsubishi-Chiyoda Joint Venture successful in the Technical Bidding. An extended Price review and Contract negotiation was completed on 10 May 2013 when the main construction contract was signed between MCJV and the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia. The final amount of loans from the Japanese Government for the development of the airport totaled , to be paid over 40 years.
Construction
The project was begun with a ground breaking ceremony. Taking place on 22 April 2012, the first work started was a site flood protection scheme. Other works under way were the construction of the electric power line from Nalaikh. Construction started in May 2013, and was finished in January 2017, the flights will commence in May 2018. The New Ulaanbaatar International Airport Construction Project Steering Committee visited the project construction work site on 11 September 2013 to see the progress of construction work. The concrete pouring work for the control tower started on 13 September 2013. On 29 January 2013, the airport's electric substation construction was completed and connected to the Mongolian central grid. The end of the main construction activities was on January 2017, with the Japanese side handing over the project to the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia. Construction of a 6-lane, 30.4 km-long highway to Ulaanbaatar started in May 2016.
Future Airlines and destinations
Transportation
The airport is connected to the highway to the capital. Moreover, on June 2016, Aeroexpress, the airport rail link company, made a decision to build the first international route from Ulaanbaatar city center to the airport using railbuses, differently compared to the current other Aeroexpress rail routes. The first stage is due to finish in 2017 and full completion is planned in 2030.
Name
The construction project name for the airport is the New Ulaanbaatar International Airport or NUBIA. Alternative names given in the media include Chinggis Khaan International Airport, Khöshig Valley International Airport, Khöshig International Airport and Ulaanbaatar Khöshig International Airport.
