Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's No. 2 air carrier, said Monday it has started nonstop flight service between Incheon and Rome in an effort to catch up with both local and overseas rivals that operate flights on that route.

The new flights, which were launched on June 30, are available every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, the company said.

The Boeing 777-200 twin-engine jet airliner with a total of 300 seats is used for the Incheon-Rome flights, according to Asiana.

With Asiana's launch, passengers are now able to fly directly to the Italian capital nearly every day from South Korea's Incheon International Airport, except for Wednesdays.

Asiana is the third airline to establish direct flights between Incheon International Airport, the main gateway to South Korea, and Rome after its bigger home rival Korean Air Lines Co. and Italian flag carrier Alitalia. (Yonhap)