EVA Chairman K.W. Chang, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner and GE Aviation Vice President and General Manager in charge of Global Sales and Marketing Chaker Chahrour signed the agreement.
TAIPEI – EVA Air signed purchase agreements for up to 24 Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners and two additional Boeing 777-300ERs in a signing ceremony with Boeing and GE officials in Taipei on Tuesday, Nov. 24, 2015. All of EVA’s new aircraft will be powered by GE engines. EVA Chairman K.W. Chang, Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Ray Conner and GE Aviation Vice President and General Manager in charge of Global Sales and Marketing Chaker Chahrour signed the agreement.
“EVA participated in development of the Boeing 777-300ER and became a launch customer in 2005,” EVA President Austin Cheng said. “From that first delivery through today, we operate 22 of these high-performance long-haul aircraft. We believe the future of the airline industry will be built on fuel efficiency and cabin comfort. The new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner’s high fuel efficiency and long-range flying capabilities meet these requirements and our operational needs. These planes will support our growth well into the future.”
Boeing uses composite material such as carbon fiber as the primary component in airframe construction of its Boeing 787 Dreamliners. This airliner is Boeing’s most fuel-efficient. A key feature of the aircraft’s design is light-weight construction. Its weight is 50% composite, primarily in the fuselage, wings, tail, doors and interior. Boeing’s expanded use of composites greatly reduces maintenance demand caused by metal fatigue in aluminum alloy airplane structures.
“We are honored to welcome EVA Air as Boeing’s newest member of the 787-10 Dreamliner launch customer group,” said Boeing Commercial Airplanes President and CEO Conner. “EVA Air has been a valued Boeing customer for the past few decades and we are honored that they continue to introduce new Boeing widebody airplanes into their growing world-class fleet. We look forward to working with EVA to further extend our successful long-term partnership.”
The aircraft is also equipped with the latest GEnx engines, providing as much as a 20% reduction in fuel burn and CO2 emissions compared to older aircraft models. The high efficiency and range capability equips EVA to optimize its fleet and network performance.
“This order demonstrates EVA Air’s confidence in the outstanding performance and reliability of GE’s wide-body jet engines,” said Chaker Chahrour, vice president and general manager of Global Sales and Marketing at GE Aviation. “The GEnx-1B engine is the best-selling engine on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The engine has accumulated more than two million flight hours and close to 400,000 cycles since entering service. GE Aviation is honored by the continued trust EVA has in our products and we look forward to playing an important role in the airline’s continued expansion.”
Other weight-reducing and environmentally conscious features include replacing incandescent bulbs with HID and LED technologies so that the 787 aircraft’s lights will last 10-to-20 times longer than their in-service counterparts.
The Boeing 787 Dreamliner also significantly improves passenger comfort by introducing advanced interior features such as gaseous filtration systems and cabin air pressurization, enhancing inflight humidity levels and air quality. The increased use of composite construction in the 787 creates a cabin environment where higher internal cabin pressure can be maintained, reducing headaches and air sickness among passengers. Passengers on these aircraft will be able to enjoy flights that are more comfortable than ever.
The first of EVA’s 26 new aircraft is scheduled to be delivered in 2017 and all of them will be in EVA’s hands by 2022. As the new aircraft are delivered, older models will be gradually replaced and more flight frequencies and destinations will be added to the airline’s schedule. The new Boeing 787 Dreamliners will be deployed on medium-range and long-haul flights and used with the 777-300ERs as the backbone of EVA’s fleet.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
