EVA Air has just revealed plans to launch flights to its newest destination in North America as of the middle of 2026, and it’ll be among the carrier’s longest routes to date…
EVA Air will start flying to Washington Dulles with 787s
As of July 2026, EVA Air intends to launch a new 4x weekly route between Taipei (TPE) and Washington Dulles (IAD). EVA Air will use a three-cabin Boeing 787-9 for the route, featuring 278 seats. This includes 26 business class seats, 28 premium economy seats, and 224 economy class seats.
Final preparations are still being made for this service to launch, so the flight isn’t yet on sale. As a result, the exact launch date and schedule haven’t yet been announced, though the airline states that that the schedule will be similar to the New York flight. The New York flight departs Taipei in the evening and also arrives in New York in the evening, before turning around in the middle of the night, and landing back in Taipei early the following morning.
At 7,864 miles, this will be among EVA Air’s longest flights. Technically, Houston (IAH) is EVA Air’s furthest destination, at 7,939 miles. However, the Washington Dulles flight will likely take longer, given that this route is more impacted by the closure of Russian airspace.
Personally I’m a huge fan of EVA Air’s business class, and rank it among the best in the world. While the hard product isn’t that great, EVA Air’s soft product is phenomenal, from the food, to the drinks, to the amenities, to the service.
How Washington Dulles fits into EVA Air’s route network
Washington Dulles will be EVA Air’s 10th destination in North America, complementing service to Chicago (ORD), Dallas (DFW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Toronto (YYZ), and Vancouver (YVR).
So, what’s EVA Air’s motive for flying to Washington Dulles? According to an EVA Air executive:
- Washington has a lot of business demand in political, military, financial, and technological sectors, which should help with filling the flight
- Transit passengers from other destinations in Asia and beyond account for around 60% of EVA Air’s passengers on North America flights, and the Washington Dulles flight is expected to have a similar passenger mix
- Washington Dulles is a United Airlines hub, and both airlines are in Star Alliance, enabling connectivity within the United States and beyond
- There are currently 320,000 Asian residents in the Washington DC area, of which 14,000 are Taiwanese (14,000 isn’t exactly a high number for launching a long haul route, but…)
I think another thing to keep in mind is that Taiwanese aviation is incredibly competitive, because in addition to EVA Air, you have China Airlines and Starlux Airlines. So there’s a competitive desire to launch routes before other Taiwanese airlines, and I imagine that’s also at play here. EVA Air is best positioned for Washington flights, given its Star Alliance membership.
Bottom line
As of July 2026, EVA Air intends to launch a new 4x weekly flight between Taipei and Washington Dulles with a 787. The exact launch date and schedule are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. This will be EVA Air’s 10th destination in North America, and on top of that, EVA Air will be the first Taiwanese airline to fly to Washington Dulles.
What do you make of EVA Air launching Washington Dulles flights?
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