Rome to Seoul and the reverse sector have become, for family reasons, the flight I travel on the most. Which means I’m always on the lookout for news and special offers on these flights. So, I thought I’d go over with you today on the best connections to fly between Rome Fiumicino Airport and Seoul Incheon International Airport.
How The Rome Fiumicino to Seoul Incheon Flight Changed Post Covid
Before diving deeper into the options available to us to travel from Rome to Seoul we must understand how the situation has changed with covid.
Prior to the pandemic we had 3 airlines operating the direct Rome Seoul sector:
- Alitalia
- Asiana
- Korean Air
Now we only have 2, since Alitalia ceased operations and the new Italian carrier, ITA Airways still hasn’t shown interest into adding Seoul to its network.
This reduction in the number of carriers on the route has coincided with an increase in price and a decrease of timing alternatives on the route.
In the near future things might change even more if the merger between Asiana and Korean Air actually goes through.
Wintertime Options to Travel Direct from Rome to Seoul
So, the current situation sees 3 airlines operate direct flights between Rome Fiumicino and Seoul Incheon. However, there is a nuance to that. Two of the three carriers, Korean Air and Asiana, are in the final stages of a merger process. That means that soon options will go down to just 2. Korean carriers currently operate all non-stop flights on this route. The current three options are:
- T’Way
- Asiana
- Korean Air
T’Way is the newcomer on the Rome Fiumicino to Seoul Incheon route. They are a low-cost carrier which started serving this sector in late summer 2024.
During the winter time there are a total of 5 weekly direct flights from Rome to Seoul. This is how they are split between Korean Air and Asiana.
Korean Air operates its flights 3 times per week, every: Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
| Airline | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Korean Air | KE931 | Seoul | ICN | 14:05 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 19:35 |
| Korean Air | KE932 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 22:00 | Seoul | ICN | 17:25 |
Asiana’s Rome to Seoul OZ562 flight on the other hand operates every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.
| Airline | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asiana Airlines | OZ561 | Seoul | ICN | 13:20 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 18:55 |
| Asiana Airlines | OZ562 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 20:30 | Seoul | ICN | 16:00 |
Both airlines operate the flight with their wide body Boeing 777s.
The low-cost option, T’Way, on the other hand operates flights every:
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Sunday
Using a two class configured Airbus A330-200 with the following timings:
| Airline | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time | Flight Duration |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TWay Air | TW405 | Seoul | ICN | 11:00 | Rome | FCO | 17:00 | 13h 40min |
| TWay Air | TW406 | Rome | FCO | 19:00 | Seoul | ICN | 14:50 | 11h 55min |
The Summer Non-Stop Rome Seoul Options for Flights
During the summertime frequency for flights from Rome to Seoul is doubled to 10 weekly flights. Here’s how the flights are split between the two operators.
Korean Air operates a daily service throughout the summer with this schedule:
| Airline | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asiana Airlines | OZ561 | Seoul | ICN | 11:50 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 17:50 |
| Asiana Airlines | OZ562 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 19:40 | Seoul | ICN | 13:55 |
Asiana instead, operates a 3x weekly flight between the airports every: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.
| Airline | Flight Number | Departure Airport | Airport Code | Departure Time | Arrival Airport | Airport Code | Arrival Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asiana Airlines | OZ561 | Seoul | ICN | 11:50 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 17:50 |
| Asiana Airlines | OZ562 | Rome Fiumicino | FCO | 19:40 | Seoul | ICN | 13:55 |
No data available, at this time, on which timings T’Way would operate on. It still isn’t confirmed that the low-cost carrier will still be active on the route.
The Alternative Flight Options
I can tell you out of first hand experience, that prices have skyrocketed on this route. It is difficult to find flights at a cheaper price than 2,000 Euro in most months, if flying on one of the two full-service carriers. The low-cost carrier will allow you to make the trip on an average of 750 Euro per person. However with that kind of money you might be better off and travel more comfortably by putting up with a stopover somewhere along the way with a full-service carrier. Among the best European airlines to offer direct flights (not non-stop, find out the difference) from Rome to Seoul are:
- Air France
- KLM
- Lufthansa
- Turkish Airlines