Asiana Airlines Resumes A380 Flights to Europe After 5 Years

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INCHEON– Asiana Airlines (OZ) has made changes to its schedule with the return of its Airbus A380 on flights between Seoul Incheon (ICN) and Frankfurt (FRA), replacing the smaller Airbus A350.

The move marks the resumption of regular A380 service by Asiana to Europe’s sixth-busiest airport, bringing the double-decker jet back into scheduled service on one of the continent’s major East Asian routes, Simple Flying reported.

Asiana A380 Returns to Europe

Asiana Airlines (OZ) will operate its 495-seat Airbus A380-841 on the Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Frankfurt (FRA) route from August 7 through December 31, 2025.

The change replaces the 311-seat Airbus A350-900, a type that has dominated the route in recent years, increasing seat capacity per flight by 59%.

The schedule will see four weekly round-trip services:

OZ541 departs ICN at 09:45 and arrives FRA at 16:30
OZ542 departs FRA at 18:50 and arrives ICN at 13:40 the next day
Flights operate on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

Although the frequency has been reduced from daily to four times weekly, the deployment of the A380 helps offset the drop in weekly seat count.

The aircraft offers Business Suites in a 1-2-1 layout (previously marketed as first class), 66 business class seats, and a dense economy section across two decks. However, premium economy will not be available under this configuration.

Fleet Implications

The Airbus A380 first appeared on the ICN–FRA route in March 2017 and flew daily until operations were halted due to the pandemic in March 2020. It reappeared sporadically in 2023 and 2024, but the 2025 deployment marks a more consistent return.

Asiana has a history of adjusting A380 routes with minimal lead time, often reallocating the aircraft based on network demand.

The reduced weekly frequency may reflect strategic fleet deployment due to Korean Air’s part-ownership of Asiana and ongoing integration efforts between the two carriers.

The return of the A380 also underscores Asiana’s effort to maximize premium capacity and belly cargo potential on high-yield routes.

Frankfurt’s Strong Demand

Frankfurt (FRA) is the second-largest point-to-point European market from Seoul after Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), with over 415,000 round-trip passengers in 2024, more than 1,100 daily. This is fueled by a sizeable Korean population in the Rhine-Main area and robust business ties with Korean multinational firms.

The ICN–FRA corridor is served by five airlines:

Asiana Airlines (OZ)
Korean Air (KE)
Lufthansa (LH)
T’Way Air (TW)
Air Premia (YP)

With the return of Asiana’s A380, Frankfurt joins Dubai and Singapore as key A380 destinations from Seoul.

FRA’s Growing A380 Portfolio

Asiana Airlines’ deployment makes Frankfurt (FRA) one of the few European airports served by three airlines operating A380s in 2025:

Asiana Airlines (OZ) from Seoul Incheon
Emirates (EK) from Dubai (DXB), with first class
Singapore Airlines (SQ) from Singapore Changi (SIN), also with first class

Frankfurt once hosted A380s from multiple other carriers—including British Airways (BA), Qatar Airways (QR), Thai Airways (TG), Korean Air (KE), and Lufthansa (LH).

However, some, like Thai Airways and British Airways, have since retired or relocated A380 operations, partly due to operational cost concerns at FRA.

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