EVA Air launched its inaugural nonstop service between Taipei and Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) on October 3, marking DFW's first direct link to the Taiwanese capital and expanding its long-haul foreign passenger airline portfolio to 14 operators. The service, utilizing 278-seat Boeing 787-9 aircraft, will increase from an initial three times weekly to daily by Christmas, primarily targeting transit passengers to East and Southeast Asia. This new route further solidifies EVA Air's growing North American footprint, with the airline planning 90 weekly passenger flights to the US/Canada by early November, an increase from pre-pandemic levels.
On October 3, EVA Air became the latest long-haul passenger airline to serve Dallas/Fort Worth. It is the first time the Texas hub, which is the world's third-busiest airport by flights, has had nonstop Taipei service. That's not surprising. With fewer than 27,000 round-trip passengers a year, the existing local market is relatively small. Of course, it'll target passengers transiting to multiple cities in East and Southeast Asia. The arrival of EVA Air in Dallas came nearly half a year after the start of Cathay Pacific. The two East Asian operators have various things in common, including the similarity of their Dallas block times. EVA is timed at up to 16h 35m, while it is 16h 40m for Cathay. EVA's inauguration came two days after Gulf Air returned to New York JFK after an absence of nearly three decades. Takeoff: EVA Air To Dallas The route covers a great circle distance of 6,707 nautical miles (12,421 km) each way. However, it will, in reality, be more than this. After all, flights rarely follow the shortest path due to winds, airspace fees, etc., while EVA Air will avoid Russian airspace. While flights initially run three times a week, they'll jump to five times weekly in mid-November and become daily shortly before Christmas. All services are aboard the 278-seat Boeing 787-9, which is the Star Alliance member's lowest-capacity widebody. This will be very useful for this never-before-served market. The 278-seater has 26 seats in business, 28 in business, and 224 in economy. Many say that EVA has one of the world's best business classes, with its 787-9 offering a better hard product than its 777-300ERs. Earlier this year, it was anticipated that the 777-300ER would be used to Dallas. | Days | Taipei To Dallas In The 1st Week Of November; Local Times | Dallas To Taipei Schedule; Local Times | |---|---|---| | Wednesdays, Fridays, Sundays | 19:45-20:10 (13h 20m) | 22:50-05:25+2 (16h 35m) | It Is EVA's 9th North American Passenger Route Based on IATA slot seasons, northern carriers, including EVA Air, will switch to winter schedules on October 26. In the first week of November, Cirium Diio data shows that EVA plans 90 weekly passenger flights to the US/Canada. EVA's offering has risen from 84 in the same week in 2024 and from 82 before the pandemic in 2019. Five airlines have nonstop passenger flights between Taipei and the US/Canada (including the US territory of Guam). Sticking with the same first week of November, EVA Air has half of the 179 weekly passenger departures. China Airlines is second (40), followed by STARLUX (26), United Airlines (16), and Delta Air Lines (7). | EVA Air's Passenger Frequency In The 1st Week Of November | Taipei To... | |---|---| | Three daily | Los Angeles (777-300ER), San Francisco (777-300ER) | | Ten weekly | Seattle (787-10) | | Daily | Chicago O'Hare (777-300ER), Houston Intercontinental (777-300ER), New York JFK (777-300ER), Toronto (777-300ER), Vancouver (777-300ER) | | Three weekly | Dallas (787-9) | Delta began nonstop Seattle-Taipei flights in 2024. Its arrival, along with China Airlines and the launch of STARLUX, means that the Taiwanese capital has become Seattle's top international market. Now served by four carriers, up to five daily flights are available. EVA Air Is Dallas's Newest Long-Haul Foreign Passenger Carrier Everyone knows that Dallas/Fort Worth is American's busiest hub and a top fortress hub, with 84% of flights by that one carrier. But its long-haul foreign passenger airline portfolio now comprises 14 operators. Naturally, a growing number of them are oneworld members to feed American's flights. They are Air France, British Airways (it returns in the winter), Cathay Pacific, Emirates, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Qantas, Qatar Airways, and Turkish Airlines. Royal Jordanian will join them in 2026. EVA Air's new nonstop service from Taipei to Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) marks a strategic expansion into an unproven market, leveraging DFW's status as a major transit hub to capture traffic for East and Southeast Asia. The initial local market is small, with fewer than 27,000 annual round-trip passengers, justifying the deployment of its lowest-capacity widebody, the 278-seat Boeing 787-9 (BA), and a phased frequency increase from three times weekly to daily by year-end. This move strengthens DFW's international portfolio, which now includes 14 foreign long-haul carriers, and introduces a new competitive dynamic at the American Airlines (AAL) fortress hub, where AAL controls 84% of flights. As a Star Alliance member, EVA Air will compete directly with oneworld's Cathay Pacific on a similarly timed route. The launch is indicative of a broader trend of expanding US-Taiwan air travel, a market where EVA Air is the dominant carrier, commanding 50% of the 179 weekly passenger departures to North America and growing its own flight count to 90 per week, surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
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