Asiana Airlines will debut its new premium economy class on its first Airbus A350 aircraft in May 2017, providing passengers with enhanced inflight experiences.

The new cabin, Economy Smartium, will become the first premium economy product offered by any Korean carrier. The seats will provide 7-10 centimeters of additional legroom compared with traditional economy class. Premium economy passengers will also be offered priority boarding, airport lounge access at Seoul’s Incheon International Airport, and other in-flight services.

Asiana has ordered 30 A350s, comprising eight smaller A350-800s, 12 standard A350-900s, and 10 larger A350-1000s. The model arriving this year will be the A350-900, which will be configured with a total of 311 seats, including 28 business class seats, 36 premium economy, and 247 economy seats.

The first new aircraft will be delivered to Asiana in April and will be deployed on regional routes connecting Seoul with Osaka and Manila from May 15, 2017. Long-haul services to San Francisco and London will then be introduced in the second half of the year.

Asiana’s twin-aisle aircraft fleet includes 15 A330s, five A380s, and 11 Boeing 777s.

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