Asiana Airlines, the country’s No. 2 air carrier, said on Thursday that it sealed a deal with Airbus to introduce six A380-800 planes by 2017.

Starting from 2014, Asiana Airlines will bring in European manufacturer Airbus’ upgraded and environmentally friendly airplane which is planned to be used for long-term routes to the Americas and Europe.

“The introduction of A380 will enable more than an annual 5 percent growth in demand for long-term routes to and from Asia and the Pacific, with the expansion of free trade agreements and visa waiver programs,” said Asiana president Yoon Young-doo.

“We made the decision to introduce them because we needed a new growth engine in order to achieve the business growth we reached last year.”

The A380, which has been serviced since 2007, is larger in size, offers more private space for its customers and reduces the noise level in the cabins. It could carry up to 853 passengers.

Asiana Airlines currently has a fleet of 74 aircraft composed of 35 Airbus and 39 Boeing planes.

By Cho Ji-hyun (sharon@heraldcorp.com)