This file photo provided by Asiana Airlines shows an A350 passenger jet flying high in the sky. (Yonhap)

Asiana Airlines Inc., South Korea's second-biggest carrier, said Monday it will expand flights on its European routes later this month as eased virus restrictions unleash pent-up demand.

Asiana Airlines will increase flights on the routes from Incheon to Frankfurt and London beginning May 28 and May 30, respectively, the company said in a statement.

The carrier will resume the routes from Incheon to Paris and Rome on June 18 and June 22, respectively, while planning to resume flights on routes from Incheon to Barcelona and Istanbul both on July 23, it said.

With the planned flight resumption and expansion, Asiana said it will be able to offer half of the flights it used to serve on European routes before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the airline industry nearly 2 1/2 years ago.

On non-European routes, Asiana reopened the Incheon-India route in late April and will expand the number of flights on routes to Sydney, Los Angeles, Osaka, Fukuoka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Manila starting this month.

Asiana currently operates 25 international routes, down from 71 before the pandemic, and seven domestic routes.