Long Time Coming for the East Coast: EVA Air Opens Taipei

‍WASHINGTON, D.C. — For years, anyone in the Washington area wanting to fly nonstop to Taiwan had exactly one option: drive to a different airport. That changed on June 26, when EVA Air (BR) touched down at Dulles International (IAD) for the first time, inaugurating four-weekly nonstop service between Taipei Taoyuan (TPE) and the U.S. capital.

The route is a first: no airline has ever flown nonstop between Taiwan and Washington, D.C., and it lands (literally) at a moment when U.S.-Taiwan air travel is growing faster than almost anyone expected. Seat capacity in the market has expanded at a compound annual rate of nearly 13% since 2023, according to Cirium data. More than 40,000 passengers a year were connecting through West Coast hubs to make this journey. They won't have to anymore.

Airways was on the ground for the inauguration, in partnership with 360 View PR, which coordinated media and guest access for the day.

On the ground at Dulles

The IAD team welcomed Airways staff at the airport and arranged something most aviation photographers only dream about: a ride out to the runway on one of Dulles's mobile lounges, the hulking, mid-century people-movers that are as much a part of the airport's identity as the Eero Saarinen terminal itself.

From the apron, with the mobile lounge parked and the welcome committee assembled, the view was amazing: a clean shot at BR04 on final approach and on rollout, without a fence or a glass window in the way.

The 787-9 arrived on schedule, and the moment it cleared the taxiway and came to a stop, the ramp filled with that kind of commotion that only an airline inaugural can produce: ground crew lining up, airport and airline representatives moving into position, cameras everywhere, and of course, the water salute.

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The route

EVA is operating the new service with a Boeing 787-9 in a three-class configuration: 26 seats in Royal Laurel Business Class, 28 in its new fourth-generation Premium Economy, and 224 in Economy. BR04 departs Taipei on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 19:30, arriving in Washington at 22:30. The return, BR03, leaves Dulles at 01:50 on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays, and Sundays, arriving back in Taipei at 05:45 the following day.

For the inaugural, however, the schedule ran differently. BR04 lifted off from Taipei at 10:10 and touched down at IAD at 12:40.

It's a long flight, roughly 15.5 hours westbound, about 14 eastbound, which makes the Premium Economy product – that EVA Air actually “invented” - more than a nice-to-have. IAD is only the second EVA gateway in North America, alongside Dallas-Fort Worth, to offer the new fourth-generation cabin. The airline pitches it as closer to business class than to a glorified economy seat, with the widest seat pitch in its category.

Why Washington, why now

EVA has been building eastward across the U.S. for a while. Dallas-Fort Worth launched in October 2025, making EVA the only Asian carrier serving two Texas cities. Chicago, Houston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, where they are already. Washington was the gap that made the least sense to leave open.

"North America has long been a key strategic market for EVA Air," said President Clay Sun when the route was announced in February. "This strengthens our presence on the East Coast and allows us to better serve one of the nation's most influential markets."

Dulles welcomes its second new carrier of 2026

For the airport, this is a good year. Air Premia launched its Seoul service from Dulles in April, and now EVA adds Taipei. Chryssa Westerlund, Executive VP and Chief Revenue Officer of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, put a number on it at the route launch announcement back in February: $61 million in estimated annual economic impact to the National Capital region.

"This new nonstop flight will significantly reduce existing travel times between Taipei and Washington, D.C.," Westerlund said. "EVA Air will offer travelers seamless connections across Asia from their global hub at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport."

The United Airlines hub at IAD makes the connectivity picture clean. As fellow Star Alliance members, EVA and United feed each other naturally: passengers from across the domestic U.S. can connect at Dulles and continue to Taipei, then on to Manila, Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, and the rest of EVA's Asian network.

What to say if not “Welcome to Washington, EVA Air”?