Summary
- Asiana Airlines will operate Airbus A380 flights between Seoul and Barcelona for a limited time in September 2024.
- Asiana and Emirates are the only airlines flying the Airbus A380 to Barcelona.
- The European Commission (EC) approved Korean Air’s acquisition of Asiana Airlines on the condition that another airline can operate flights on the Seoul-Barcelona route.
Asiana Airlines has scheduled flights with the Airbus A380 between Seoul, South Korea, and Barcelona, Spain, becoming the second airline in the past five years to bring the superjumbo to the Catalan city. The other airline that has been flying to Barcelona with the Airbus A380 is Emirates.
One-off occasion
As reported by AeroRoutes, Asiana Airlines has scheduled flights with the Airbus A380 between September 15 and September 21, 2024, with the double-decker temporarily replacing the carrier’s Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which typically operates the route.
Barring February, Asiana Airlines has flown between Seoul Incheon International Airport (ICN) and Barcelona El Prat Airport (BCN) three times per week. In February, the airline operated four weekly itineraries, including flights with the Airbus A380, according to data from the aviation analytics company Cirium.
The data also showed that Asiana Airlines flew to BCN up until February 2020, suspending its flights to the Spanish city due to the pandemic. It returned to the route exactly two years later, operating a single weekly itinerary from ICN to BCN with the Airbus A350-900.
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Joining Emirates
Cirium data also showed that the only airline apart from Asiana that has scheduled Airbus A380 flights to BCN was Emirates. The Dubai International Airport (DXB)-based carrier had operated its flights to BCN with the Airbus A380 up until March 2020, returning with the type to the Catalan capital in January 2024 with seven weekly itineraries.
Photo: Mario Trusch | Shutterstock
In addition to its daily flights with the Airbus A380, Emirates also has a daily fifth-freedom flight to/from BCN. Flight EK255/EK256 originates in DXB, stops in BCN, and flies to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) before returning back to DXB via BCN.
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Competition concerns
However, the ICN – BCN route was flagged by the European Commission (EC) as it approved the merger between Korean Air and Asiana Airlines, two South Korean carriers, in February. Then, the EC gave its stamp of approval on the condition that another airline would be able to fly from ICN to several cities in order to alleviate competition concerns.
In total, the EC identified four routes to European airports that needed another entrant: Paris Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG), Rome–Leonardo da Vinci Fiumicino International Airport (FCO), BCN, and Frankfurt Airport (FRA).
Photo: T’way Air
South Korea-based T’Way Air, which has a trio of Airbus A330-300 aircraft, per ch-aviation data, has been chosen as the airline to operate these routes out of ICN. According to the EC’s statement at the time, Korean Air has committed to provide the assets required to launch these routes, which includes slots, traffic rights, “as well as access to the required aircraft.”
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