LONDON – Asiana Airlines will bring its double-decker A380 back into service for the next summer season.
The superjumbo will operate routes from Seoul – Incheon (ICN) to Los Angeles (LAX), the airline’s first destination for the A380, and Frankfurt (FRA).
According to Cirium’s data, in January Asiana will operate twelve flights per week using Airbus A350-900 aircraft on the ICN-LAX route. Starting March 27, OZ201 and OZ202 flights increase daily and switch to the Airbus A380 on the following itinerary:
Seoul Incheon – Los Angeles OZ201 ICN 14:40 – LAX 09:50+1
Los Angeles – Seoul Incheon OZ202 LAX 12:10 – ICN 05:35+1
From summer 2022, Asiana Airlines will bring back the double-decker also on the carrier’s main European route to Frankfurt (FRA) with daily flights on the following itinerary:
Seoul Incheon – Frankfurt OZ541 ICN 12:00 – FRA 16:30
Frankfurt – Seoul Incheon OZ542 FRA 18:30 – ICN 11:50+1
The airline has a fleet of six A380 aircraft with an average age of 6.8 years, Planespotters.net shows.
The double-decker has a three-class configuration with 12 seats in first, 66 in business, and 417 in economy.
All six aircraft are still in storage and it’s likely they will return to service only for a short time.
In an interview with FlightGlobal, Korean Air’s CEO Walter Cho said the A380s will be leaving Korean Air’s fleet within five years, forewarning their early retirement.
Asiana joins British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Qantas in resuming A380 operations. Like other airlines, South Korea’s carrier had suspended commercial flights of the superjumbo due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Asiana also once operated A380s to New York (JFK), but later changed to double-daily service with Airbus A350-900s.
During the northern winter season, the A380 operated to Sydney (SYD) and several destinations in Asia: Hong Kong (HKG), Bangkok (BKK), Tokyo Narita (NRT), and Shanghai Pudong (PVG).
