Thursday, February 05, 2026 – The Government of Mongolia and the Government of the United States today announced the signing of a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) Grant Agreement. The USTDA grant will fund technical assistance from The Wicks Group Consulting (TWG) to the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia (CAA of Mongolia) to help Mongolia achieve a Category 1 rating under the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program. An IASA Category 1 (CAT 1) rating is necessary for Mongolian air carriers, such as MIAT Mongolian Airlines (MIAT), to obtain U.S. regulatory approvals for direct flight operations between Mongolia and the U.S.
The Grant Agreement was signed at USTDA headquarters in Arlington VA by Thomas Hardy, Deputy Director and COO (Performing the Duties of Director) of the USTDA, and Ganbold Gochoo, Vice Minister of Road and Transport of Mongolia. Also present at the formal signing ceremony were H.E. Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia; H.E. Batbayar Ulziidelger, Ambassador of Mongolia to the United States of America; Mr. Battushig Zanabazar, Deputy Chief of Mission of the Embassy of Mongolia; and Mr. Batbayar Gurragchaa, Director of Civil Aviation Cooperation Department for the Civil Aviation Authority of Mongolia. The Wicks Group Consulting was represented at the ceremony by Mr. Glenn Wicks, Managing Director, and additional senior personnel.
During the ceremony, Ganbold Gochoo, Vice Minister of Road and Transport of Mongolia, noted that enabling direct flight services will allow Mongolian airlines to benefit from the Open Skies Agreement signed by the two governments in 2023. USTDA Deputy Director Thomas Hardy particularly highlighted the role of aviation in the potential for new trade partnerships with Mongolia, such as in critical minerals trade. H.E. Ms. Battsetseg Batmunkh, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia, who, like USTDA participated in this week’s critical minerals ministerial, emphasized the importance of establishing direct flight services between Mongolia and the United States as a way to strengthen ties between the two countries and facilitate trade.
The scope of the IASA technical assistance to be provided under the Grant Agreement was developed in part from findings and recommendations provided by TWG to the CAA of Mongolia as part of a 2024 IASA Baseline Assessment project that was funded by the Government of Mongolia. The new services will provide the CAA of Mongolia with technical expertise and resources for strengthening compliance with the international aviation safety oversight standards that are the focus of FAA IASA audits. Technical assistance will be provided over an 18-month period to support needed improvements to civil aviation regulations, industry and CAA of Mongolia inspector guidance materials, inspector training, operator certification and surveillance, aviation personnel licensing, and designee oversight.
Established in 1999 and based in Washington, DC, TWG has a lengthy record of providing IASA technical assistance to civil aviation authorities (CAAs), including but not limited to the CAAs of India, Panama, Cabo Verde, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Trinidad and Tobago. In all, ten FAA Category 1 ratings have been issued to TWG IASA technical assistance clients to date. TWG also regularly assists foreign air carriers with obtaining the US government approvals needed to operate directly to the U.S. and assists foreign repair stations with securing FAA certification required to provide services for US-registered aircraft.
For more information about The Wicks Group, please contact Glenn Wicks at gpwicks@wicks-group.com.