EVA Airways yesterday said it would increase its service to and from Paris from four flights a week to daily as of Oct. 10, a move it has been mulling for two years.
In the past three years, the load factor on flights to Paris has exceeded 80 percent, evidence of the strong demand for the route, the airline said.
The number of tourists flying with EVA to Paris on independent travel programs rose by more than 20 percent during that period, it said.
Starting on Oct. 10, a flight to Paris is to depart Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 11:30pm daily and arrive in France at 7:35am the following morning. The return flights are to leave Paris at 11:20am and arrive in Taiwan at 6:30am the next day.
EVA Air started offering flights to Paris in October 1993 before suspending the service in 2007 for two years.
EVA Air uses its Hello Kitty-themed aircraft on the Paris flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays, with the return flights on Thursdays, Sundays and Mondays.
It said it would keep the Hello Kitty aircraft on the same three round-trip flights each week.
In March, EVA Air won a Leisure Lifestyle Special Achievement Award for its Hello Kitty-themed aircraft, which was recognized as “Outstanding Customized Services.”
To celebrate the expansion of the Paris service, EVA Air is to offer discounts for economy-class passengers departing between Sept. 18 and Dec. 31, as long as they pay for their tickets by Aug. 31.
EVA Air provides 23 round-trip flights every week to Paris, London, Vienna, Amsterdam and Istanbul. The average load factor for the five destinations ranged between 80 percent and 85 percent in the past three years.
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