EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday turned a new leaf in the company’s history as it formally retired its fleet of Boeing 747-400 airliners and unveiled new uniforms for its cabin, cockpit and airport service staff.
At a ceremony at Evergreen Aviation Technologies Corp’s (長榮航太) hangar in Taoyuan, EVA Airways bid a fond farewell to the iconic aircraft, which was the backbone of its long-haul operations for almost 25 years as it grew into one of Taiwan’s two dominant airlines.
The company’s fleet has been upgraded with newer Boeing 777-300ERs and the Boeing 787 Dreamliner is slated to be introduced beginning next year, allowing the company to take advantage of the latest advances in fuel efficiency, flight safety and inflight amenities for passengers, EVA Airways chairman Steve Lin (林寶水) said at the ceremony.
Photo: Yao Kai-shiou, Taipei Times
The new crew uniforms feature an improved fit and are made with high-performance fabrics that blend elastic and antistatic carbon fiber yarns, the company said.
The new uniforms, designed by Shiatzy Chen (王陳彩霞), marked the first update since the airline’s second-generation uniforms were introduced 14 years ago.
Beginning in November, the new uniforms will be worn by EVA Airways staff as well as crew on its affiliate carrier, Uni Air (立榮航空), Lin said.
The company expects earnings to improve further amid a recovery in demand, Lin said.
The company returned to profit last quarter, with a net income of NT$1.82 billion (US$60.14 million), compared with a net loss of NT$583 million in the first quarter.
Net income in the first half came to NT$839 million, compared with NT$2.31 billion in the same period last year, with sales gaining 12.83 percent annually to NT$78.27 billion. Earnings per share were NT$0.21.
Separately, China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) chairman Ho Nuan-hsuan (何煖軒), who is also chairman of the Taipei Airlines Association, said at a forum that Taiwan’s airline market, which is heavily dependent on regional flights, could face oversupply by 2020 as carriers continue to expand their fleets.
While Ho did not comment on Starlux (星宇航空), an airline being set up by former EVA Airways chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) that is expected to take to the skies in 2019, he said that even the larger markets of Japan and South Korea could only support two major airlines each, while Taiwan’s airports have limited time slots.
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