MIAT Mongolian Airlines will expand its fleet with two new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The national carrier has penned an agreement to lease the single-aisle passenger jets from Avolon, with deliveries expected in early 2019. The new aircraft will join MIAT’s existing fleet of three Boeing 737s and two 767s.

“The 737 MAX will become a cornerstone in our fleet modernisation strategy as we look to introduce new airplanes to our customers in the years to come,” said Tamir Tumurbaatar, president & CEO of MIAT. “These fuel-efficient airplanes will help us realise our goals of driving down operational costs and expanding the regional network.”

The airline is expected to deploy the 737 MAX aircraft on existing services from its home base of Ulaanbaatar to South Korea, China, Japan and Russia, as well as future new routes.

MIAT will expand its route map this summer with the launch of new scheduled flights to the Korean city of Busan.