Korean carrier Asiana Airlines is set to fly two new non-stop European routes next year, bringing both Venice and Barcelona into its network.
Both cities have previously been flown to as occasional charter services by Asiana since 2014 – this year it flew to Venice from June to October and to Barcelona in September and October – however these new services will soon operate as regular scheduled flights.
The Venice route is currently set to launch on May 1, 2018 as a three-times-weekly service flying on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday between Seoul’s Incheon International Airport and Venice Marco Polo International Airport. This will then be followed by Barcelona on August 30, which will be served four times per week on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday.
Seoul Incheon (ICN)-Venice (VCE):
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| OZ531 | Seoul Incheon (ICN) | Venice (VCE) | 915 | 1505 | Tue, Wed, Fri |
| OZ532 | Venice (VCE) | Seoul Incheon (ICN) | 1645 | 1050+1 |
Seoul Incheon (ICN)-Barcelona (BCN):
| Flight No. | From | To | Departs | Arrives | Days |
| OZ511 | Seoul Incheon (ICN) | Barcelona (BCN) | 1330 | 2050 | Tue, Thu, Sat, Sun |
| OZ512 | Barcelona (BCN) | Seoul Incheon (ICN) | 2220 | 1755+1 |
Both routes will see Asiana’s two-class Boeing 777-200s deployed on the route. Asiana has 11 B777s in its fleet and a number of slightly varying configurations. The good news for travellers on these routes is that both Venice and Barcelona will be getting the airline’s newer, fully flat Business Smartium seats as opposed to the regular business class offering.
Business Smartium is laid out 1-2-1 on the B777, meaning direct aisle access for all passengers, compared with the older product, which is configured 2-3-2. The business class cabin has either 22 or 24 Business Smartium seats, depending on the aircraft’s overall configuration. In-seat power supply as well as in-flight SMS and email is also available in the cabin.
The addition of Barcelona will bring Asiana’s European network up to seven destinations, including Frankfurt, Istanbul, London, Paris and Rome. Asiana will be the only airline operating non-stop flights between Seoul and Venice, however rival Korean carrier, Korean Air, already flies to Barcelona, having launched flights to the city in May this year.
A number of other Asian airlines have been focusing their attention on Barcelona over the past year. Cathay Pacific launched its seasonal non-stop service in January and as of April 15 next year the route is set to become a year-round operation. Meanwhile in July this year, Singapore Airlines began operating non-stop flights to Barcelona, cutting out its previous stopover in Milan-Malpensa Airport.