EVA Air to launch nonstop flights to Chicago O’Hare in 12 years

EVA Air has announced it will be launching new nonstop flights to Chicago O’Hare from Taipei Taoyuan starting from November 2, 2016. The airline will operate the service four times every week. This will be for the first time that new flights to Chicago are being launched from East Asia in 12 years. The flights on the route will be operated with the help of a Boeing 777-300ER aircraft. United Airlines first started offering nonstop flights services to Shanghai in October 2004.

Chicago O’Hare is being currently served with daily nonstop flights services from five East Asian cities, including Hong Kong, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Tokyo. Now, Taipei will become the sixth East Asian destination to be served from Chicago O’Hare. Other destinations in Asia-Pacific region being offered connectivity from Chicago O’Hare include Dubai, Doha, Delhi, Amman and Abu Dhabi.

Travel experts said that the long gap in launching of flights to Chicago O’Hare from East Asia can be attributed to the volatility in the region over the past few years. The travel experts also conceded that the commercial aviation sector is seeing a favorable environment since 2010, thus allowing international airlines from both the United States and Asia to significantly expand their operations on either side of the Pacific Ocean. Moreover, Asia carriers have also been able to grow in North American markets because of the increase in orders for Boeing 777-300ER aircrafts which started in 2010.

EVA Air, which is currently the main rival of China Airlines on Taiwan-North American routes, maintains an impressive fleet of Boeing 777-300ERs and has further placed orders for 13 more B777-300ERs. Taiwan’s second-largest carrier EVA Air presently offering nonstop flights services to seven North American markets, which includes Seattle/Tacoma, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, New York JFK, Toronto Pearson and Vancouver. The airline is operating its transpacific flights to Vancouver entirely with the help of its Boeing 747-400 aircrafts fleet.