Several weeks ago, EVA Air executives revealed plans to launch flights to a new destination in North America, which will be the carrier’s longest flight to date. I’d like to provide an update, as this new route is now bookable, so we know exactly when it will launch, and what the schedule will be like.
EVA Air will start flying to Washington Dulles with 787s
As of June 26, 2026, EVA Air intends to launch a new 4x weekly route between Taipei (TPE) and Washington Dulles (IAD). The flight will operate with the following schedule:
BR4 Taipei to Washington departing 7:30PM arriving 10:30PM
BR3 Washington to Taipei departing 1:50AM arriving 5:45AM (+1 day)
The flight to the United States is blocked at 15hr, and will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and while the flight to Taiwan is blocked at 15hr55min, and will operate on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
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.
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 is scheduled to 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 the airline:
- 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 June 2026, EVA Air intends to launch a new 4x weekly flight between Taipei and Washington Dulles with a 787, and the flight is now on sale. 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?
