EVA Air, Taiwan's leading independent airline, has added to its fleet a fourth 787-10 Dreamliner, aircraft number B-17805, at the Boeing assembly factory in North Charleston, South Carolina.  EVA Air President Clay Sun led a delegation from Taipei, Taiwan to take delivery of the airline's newest aircraft and, alongside Ms. Christy Reese, Vice President of Boeing Commercial Sales and Marketing – Asia Pacific and Mr. Mahendra Nair, General Manager of GEnx Product Line, commemorated the event with a ribbon cutting. EVA Air then ferried the new Dreamliner to Taiwan on the same day and began preparations to use the new plane to upgrade service. 

EVA Air has already deployed new Dreamliners on routes from Taipei to Tokyo, Osaka, Hong Kong and Vienna. The airline will start utilising one of the aircraft on a route from Taipei to Brisbane later this month and extend 787 operations on routes from Taipei to Vancouver in the first quarter of 2020.

EVA Air President Clay Sun said, “Fuel efficiency and cabin comfort are two key factors that determine a commercial jetliner's competitiveness in the global aviation market. The Boeing Dreamliner's reliable performance and advanced aviation technologies make it an excellent choice for the aircraft we need to continue growing our route network and providing our passengers with safe, comfortable flights.”

The technologies used to build the Boeing 787 Dreamliner make the aircraft more environmentally efficient. The aircraft is constructed of lighter composite materials such as carbon fibre and more than 50% of the aircraft's total weight comes from these materials, including the fuselage, wings and engine blades. Compared to traditional aluminium alloy fuselage construction, these advanced materials significantly decrease the aircraft's overall weight and likelihood of metal fatigue or corrosion, reducing maintenance costs. Replacing fluorescent tubes with LED lights shrinks power demand by almost half.

GE's advanced GEnx engines reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by 20%, compared to power systems on traditional wide-body aircraft. The 787-10's high fuel efficiencies and range capabilities equip EVA Air to further elevate operational performances.

Boeing also engineered its Dreamliners to enhance cabin comfort. The Boeing 787 is equipped with an advanced air filtration system that improves cabin air. The composite materials make the 787 fuselage more airtight and compared with traditional commercial jets, the 787's cabin humidity can be increased three-to-four times, eliminating the drying inflight atmosphere. The aircraft's cabin pressure can also be controlled to make the altitude feel like the optimal 6,000 ft. instead of the standard 8,000 ft., boosting passengers' blood-oxygen levels and reducing headaches and fatigue. Specially designed engine housings significantly reduce noise and give passengers quieter, more comfortable inflight environments.

In addition to giving passengers the comforts and conveniences of the Boeing Dreamliner's advanced aviation technologies, EVA Air has worked hard to further elevate cabin comfort.

EVA Air chose Designworks, a BMW company, to create the Royal Laurel Class business seats used on its Dreamliner aircraft. The airline selected Teague, a global design consultancy recognised for work in aviation, to develop new Economy Class seats and RECARO, a German manufacturer known for sports car interiors, to produce them. EVA Air is making these investments to provide passengers with better flying experiences and advance its dedication to five-star airline service.

EVA Air is adding a total of 24 Dreamliners to its fleet. Starting in 2018, it began to take delivery of 787-9 Dreamliners and now operates four of the aircraft in that model. To celebrate its 30th anniversary this year, the airline has begun to introduce 787-10s, the newest and largest model in the Dreamliner family, further upgrading services on regional and shorter-haul routes. By 2022, the airline will be operating 16 more 787-10s. 

The Boeing 787-10 is 68.3 metres (224.4 ft.) long, approximately 5 metres (16.4 ft.) longer than 787-9. EVA Air configured its 787-10s for 342 passengers with 34 in Royal Laurel Class business and 308 in Economy. This new Dreamliner model seats eight more passengers in Royal Laurel and 30 more in Economy Class than its sister 787-9 aircraft.

The Boeing 787-10 also has a larger belly capacity and holds more air freight than the 787-9. Using EVA Air's Taipei-Japan routes as an example,  the 787-10s can carry one-to-two tonnes of additional cargo, including fresh seafood, fragile fruit and sensitive high-tech products, along with a full load of passengers. In slower travel seasons, the 787-10's higher belly capacity is helpful for increasing cargo revenues and boosting overall operating performance.

Information about the airline's routes and services is available at www.evaair.com.

About EVA Air:

EVA Air is a Star Alliance member and one of only 10 SKYTRAX-rated 5-Star airlines worldwide. Readers voted it one of Travel + Leisure's World's Best “Top 10 International Airlines” and TripAdvisor awarded it top spots in five categories in its annual Travelers' Choice Awards for Airlines. The carrier was established in 1989 as Taiwan's first privately owned international airline. It is part of the respected Evergreen Group and a sister company to global container-shipping leader Evergreen Line. It flies a fleet of more than 70 Boeing and Airbus aircraft to over 60 international destinations throughout Asia, Oceania, Europe and North America where gateways are Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver. Travellers can learn more about EVA and schedule, book and buy tickets at www.evaair.com.

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Hume Whitehead – Richard Hume (Richard@humewhitehead.co.uk, +44 (0)203 375 4050)