SOUTH KOREA: Asiana Suspends Flights To Vladivostok, Bali and Yangon Due To Lack Of Demand.

Asiana is set to temporarily suspend flights to Vladivostok, Bali and Yangon due to lack of demand. Flights to Vladivostok are due to be halted on 1st Feb 2016, and flights to Bali and Yangon will be halted on 1st March 2016.

That’s not to say this will be a permanent change, and you may still be able to pick up some last minute tickets for the 5 star airline before the routes are suspended.

Asiana Airlines is South Korea's No. 2 full-service carrier, and currently operates two weekly flights to Southeast Asian destinations & four weekly flights to the Russian port city.

For passengers that have already booked tickets on these Asiana routes, Asiana has taken steps to ensure the flights would be fulfilled on use other airlines. The company also added that it will give full refunds to people opting to cancel flights.

Korean Air Lines Co. operates flights to all three cities.

"Every effort will be made to reduce passenger inconvenience," Asiana said.

Asiana is also awaiting regulatory approval of its plan to set up another low cost carrier.

The new company, to be called Air Seoul, would be a wholly owned subsidiary that would operate flights to China, Japan, and Southeast Asia. Should permission be granted, it would be the company's second no-frills airline after Air Busan.

SOUTH KOREA: Asiana Airlines Finalises Order For 25 A321neo Aircraft

Lowest operating costs and best passenger comfort in single aisle category

South Korea’s Asiana Airlines has placed a firm order with Airbus for 25 A321neo aircraft. The contract, which finalises a commitment announced earlier this year, was signed at a special ceremony in Seoul by Kim Soo Cheon, President & CEO, Asiana Airlines and Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO.

Seating 180 passengers in a two class layout, the new aircraft will be operated on Asiana’s regional services, as well as on selected domestic routes. Asiana will make a decision on its engine of choice for the aircraft at a later date. The A321neo will join an existing fleet of A320 Family aircraft operated by Asiana Airlines and its low cost subsidiary Air Busan, with the A321 set to become the primary single aisle type at both units.

"The finalisation of our latest order with Airbus will ensure that we will continue to operate the most efficient aircraft the industry has to offer in all size categories,” said Kim Soo Cheon, President & CEO, Asiana Airlines. “The A321neo will bring a 20 per cent reduction in fuel consumption and increased flying range. And for our passengers the aircraft will enable us to offer the very highest standards of service and comfort on even our shortest routes.”

"We are pleased to be the preferred partner of Asiana Airlines,” said Fabrice Brégier, Airbus President and CEO. "The A321neo will bring the airline the lowest operating costs of any single aisle aircraft, flying passengers in comfort on flights of up to six hours. We will be especially proud to see the A321neo flying in Asiana colours, as part of a future fleet that will comprise aircraft from the entire Airbus product line.”

Asiana Airlines currently operates 33 Airbus singe aisle aircraft, 15 widebody A330-300s and four double deck A380s. Meanwhile, Air Busan currently operates 10 A320 Family aircraft on its domestic and regional services. Following this order, the Asiana Group now has firm orders with Airbus for 57 aircraft, comprising two more A380s, 30 mid-size widebody A350 XWBs and 25 A321neo.

The A321 is the largest member of the best-selling single aisle A320 Family. To date, the A320 Family has won more than 12,200 orders and over 6,700 aircraft have been delivered to more than 300 operators worldwide.

Incorporating new engines and the latest technologies, the A320neo Family will bring a step-change reduction in fuel consumption of over 15 per cent, longer range capability and reduced maintenance costs, as well significantly reduced carbon emissions. With over 4,300 orders received from more than 75 customers since its launch in 2010, the A320neo Family has captured almost 60 percent share of the market.

SOUTH KOREA: Asiana Airlines And Korean Air Compete On 50 Routes

Asiana Airlines’ most recent new route launch was to Rome Fiumicino, a service that started on 30 June. This new service will face direct competition from both Alitalia and Korean Air. Out of the 79 routes Asiana serves non-stop from Seoul Incheon it faces head-to-head competition from at least two carriers on 43 of them, including Rome.

Asiana Airlines remains the second biggest carrier in South Korea after Korean Air. According to the airline’s latest quarterly performance report, at the end of March 2015 the Star Alliance member’s fleet comprised 73 passenger aircraft; 33 narrow-body A320-series aircraft (A320s and A321s), and 40 wide-body aircraft comprising 17 Airbus aircraft (two A380s and 15 A330s) and 23 Boeing aircraft (12 777s, seven 767s and four 747s). Since then, additional A380s have been delivered to the airline in May and June bringing the fleet to four aircraft. They are currently used on flights to Bangkok, Los Angeles and New York JFK.

The airline’s main base of operation is Seoul Incheon Airport from where it operates non-stop to 79 destinations, of which only one (Jeju) is a domestic route. Based on OAG data for the first week of August Asiana ranks as the 61st biggest airline in the world as measured by weekly seat capacity, moving up to 39th if we use ASKs (Available Seat Kilometres) as our metric. Using ASKs, which takes into account distance flown as well as total seat capacity, five of the airline’s top seven routes are to the US (shown in light green), with Los Angeles beating New York JFK to the top position.

According to the airline’s most recent quarterly financial report (for 2015 Q1) US routes account for 17.8% of the airline’s revenues. This is beaten by the 18.9% of revenues on Chinese routes (it serves 23 destinations in China from Seoul Incheon), and south-east Asian routes which account for one-quarter of all passenger revenue. Routes to Japan generate a further 14%, European routes 9%, while domestic routes only account for 8% of revenues.

Intense competition at Seoul Incheon
At Seoul Incheon, Korean Air is the leading carrier serving almost 100 destinations with non-stop flights (making it the fourth best connected airline hub in Asia) and accounting for 33% of weekly departing seats at the airport. Asiana’s services to almost 80 destinations give it a 24% share of seat capacity at the airport. Not surprisingly, the two carriers compete head-to-head on a significant number of routes, 49 in all. However, Asiana also competes against other carriers on a significant number of routes.

On only 14 of the 79 destinations served from Seoul Incheon does Asiana not face head-to-head competition from at least one other airline, and these routes only represent just over 3% of the airline’s ASKs from the airport. Asiana’s two biggest monopoly routes in terms of ASKs are Delhi and Jakarta which account for over half of the uncontested ASKs. On 22 routes Asiana faces just one carrier, while on 23 routes the level of competition increases to two carriers. On the remaining 20 routes there are at least three carriers competing directly, with the Hong Kong route having the highest level of competition at nine carriers.

Asiana’s most recent new route has been to Rome Fiumicino (launched 30 June) with Astana, the capital of Kazakhstan, set to become the carrier’s newest destination on 8 August. The new weekly (Saturdays) service will complement the existing weekly (Tuesdays) service offered by Air Astana, with whom Asiana has a codeshare arrangement.

Asiana Airlines’ next new route to Astana starts on 8 August. The weekly service will complement the existing weekly service offered by Air Astana on which Asiana codeshares.

In the South Korean domestic market Asiana also ranks second behind Korean Air, with around 23% of seats and flights. Of the 10 domestic routes operated seven are from Jeju, which includes the high frequency route to Seoul Gimpo, which is served almost 200 times per week in each direction. This single route accounts for half of all Asiana’s domestic flights. Competition on the route is intense with Korean Air offering around 190 weekly flights each way, Jeju Airlines over 150, t’way air 100, Jin Air over 80 and Air Busan 35. Air Busan is the low-cost subsidiary of Asiana.


Asiana’s four A380s are configured with 495 seats in three classes. The first two aircraft were delivered in May and July 2014, with the most recent deliveries taking place in May and June of this year. The airline has orders for two additional aircraft. The aircraft are currently used on the US routes to Los Angeles and New York, as well as some Bangkok frequencies.