• 

  EVA Air

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  BR/EVA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Taoyuan International Airport

  Year Founded:

  1989

  Alliance:

  Star Alliance

  CEO:

  Chen Hsien-Hung

  Country:

  Republic of China

Taiwanese carrier EVA Air is set to expand its offerings to Europe later this year. While the airline already flies to popular destinations on the continent like London and Paris, it is now ready to add Italy and Germany to its list of worldwide network points.

Two new flights

EVA Air has announced that it will launch nonstop flights from Taipei to two new European destinations – Milan and Munich. The Milan service will start on October 25th and Munich on November 3rd.

The carrier will fly to Milan twice a week and four times to Munich as it looks to cast a wider net on Europe in addition to its existing flights to the continent. EVA Air has been planning to expand to Italy and Germany for a long time and would have started the service in February 2020 if it wasn't for COVID-19.

Now, two years later, as the pandemic subsides, the carrier is giving travelers more options to fly on popular routes. Bookings for Milan and Munich were opened on the airline's official website on July 6th.

Schedule

EVA Air will deploy its long-haul workhorse, the Boeing 777-300ER, to these two destinations. The airline has 32 active 777s in its fleet and deploys the type to some of its most popular routes in the world. It will fly to Milan and Munich on the following schedule:

Flights have been planned to arrive at Taipei's Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) in the early morning so that passengers can easily connect onward aboard one of EVA's flights to other destinations. The airline is hoping that the expanded flight network will attract more travelers from Europe who can fly to and from the airline's main hub in Taiwan to popular destinations throughout Asia.

First European expansion in 25 years

EVA Air's Milan and Munich flights are also special because they mark the airline's expansion in the European market for the first time in 25 years. The airline currently flies to London, Amsterdam, Paris, and Vienna.

It operates direct flights from London and Amsterdam with one stop in Bangkok and flies nonstop to Taipei from Paris and Vienna. EVA Air feels that the added service will give business and leisure travelers more itinerary opportunities when they choose to arrive in one city and return from another.

Bouncing back

Like airlines around the world, EVA Air's passenger services were severely affected by the pandemic and associated lockdowns. However, the airline's cargo division saw a 70% increase in revenue in 2021 compared to the previous year.

Due to the high cargo demand, the carrier reported NT$6.6 billion (US$231.34 million) in net profit over the past year, with revenues up by 15% from 2020.

Follow Simple Flying for all the latest aviation news.

The airline has been further aided by Taiwan easing its transit and entry rules in June, cutting the quarantine time for travelers who wish to enter the country from seven to three days. If the pandemic continues to recede, the rules will likely be relaxed even further when EVA Air launches these two new routes.

What are your opinions on this? Please let us know in the comment section below.