Alitalia starts flying between Seoul, Roma; Asiana to join foray

With more Korean tourists visiting Italy, the number of flights to and from Rome is set to increase. The Incheon-Roma route, on which Korean Air has been single-handedly operating three weekly flights, has seen occupancy rate increase from 77.7 percent to 83.7 percent over the past three years, as demand for passenger travel has been constantly rising.

Incheon International Airport Authority said on Sunday that Alitalia, Italy’s largest air carrier that was established in 1946, launched regular flights on the route from Friday. Alitalia will deploy the A330 aircraft with more 270 seats, and operate flights three times weekly on Mondays, Fridays and Sundays. The airliner also decided to add a flight on Tuesday, and run a total of four flights per week from October.

Asiana Airlines, another air carrier based in Korea, is also set to launch flights on the route from June 30, a move that will enable passengers traveling to and from Roma to choose from more diverse aircraft. “Alitalia is resuming flights to Korea for the first time in 20 years since it halted operation between Gimpo and Roma,” said a source at the Incheon International Airport Authority. “It is expected that we will also attract transit passengers, who are estimated at 10,000 passengers per year.” Currently, more than 90 Korean and foreign air carriers are linking Incheon Airport to more than 190 cities worldwide.

kchwang@donga.com