Asiana Airlines to increase international flight operations from May

An Asiana Airline plane takes off from Incheon International Airport [YONHAP]

Asiana Airlines is expanding its international flight operations this May, primarily focusing on routes to China and the United States.

The flag carrier announced Wednesday it is increasing the number of flights on 54 international routes to a total of 413 per week with the aim to restore operations to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year. Currently, it is operating at 71 percent of its pre-pandemic capacity.

Asiana Airlines will boost the number of flights to Hangzhou, Nanjing, and Changchun from three to five flights per week. The Hanoi route, which previously operated 10 times a week, will now be serviced with 14 weekly flights. The New York route will see an increase from seven to 10 flights per week, with the addition of night flights on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. The Seattle route will transition to daily flights until August.

In June, the airline plans to introduce daily flights on the Cebu route, which was previously operated four times a week. The Clark route, also in the Philippines, will transition to daily flights after approximately two years. The airline also has plans to gradually expand routes to Europe and Central Asia. The Istanbul route will witness an increase from two to three flights per week, the Ulaanbaatar route from three to four flights per week, and the Almaty route from three to five flights per week.

To prepare for the summer peak season in July and August, Asiana Airlines will operate the Sapporo route with daily flights for two months. The Nagoya route, previously operated only in the morning, will introduce afternoon flights five times a week. The Okinawa route will also offer daily flights during this period.

The Saipan route will be expanded from four to seven flights per week. The Australia route, which previously operated daily afternoon flights, will introduce additional morning flights per week on Tuesdays and Saturdays starting in August. Additionally, the Venice route will reintroduce irregular flights once a week during the summer peak season, marking a comeback after a hiatus of about three years.

Additionally, the airline plans to expand 19 Chinese routes, increasing the total number of flights to 163 per week. The destinations with added flights include the Chengdu (Tianfu) route, which will operate five times a week in July, and the Harbin and Shenzhen routes, which will each have four weekly flights starting in August.

BY SEO JI-EUN [seo.jieun1@joongang.co.kr]