MIAT just took took delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner jet, which it plans to use for USA service once regulatory approval has been obtained.

CEO B.Munkhtamir sat down with CNN’s Richard Quest to discuss the future of his airline. As Quest pushed B.Munkhtamir for how such a small player could ever be a key competitor, he insisted it could be done through partnerships. When Quest asked if MIAT would join an airline alliance, B.Munkhtamir revealed:

“We are actively pursing to get into the oneworld connect program, which is not actually the alliance, but is the connect program where those two major partnerships are in, Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines.”

Indeed, MIAT entered into a codeshare partnership with Cathay Pacific in 2017 and JAL in 2020.

Geographic proximity may not mean anything in the long-term, but I could also see Mongolia serving as a transit point between the two nations if relations sour, just as Oman was a key transit point between Qatar and other Gulf states in 2017.