EVA Airways to join an alliance by 2013

[alberttky 0]

Taipei-based EVA Airways Corp. (BR) is “in aggressive talks” to join either oneworld or Star alliance by 2013, senior VP-Europe Tim Yang confirmed to ATW in Vienna.

 

BR competitor, China Airlines, recently joined SkyTeam (ATW Daily News, Sept. 28).

 

The airline is optimistic it will be accepted in “less than two years from now, hopefully earlier,” Evergreen vice group chairman Raymond Lin told ATW.

 

Lin said that joining an alliance would benefit the carrier’s mainland China services, where it flies to 25 destinations. “This business [has] become the most important one to us,” Lin said, noting the carrier wants to “increase frequencies.”

 

According to Yang, BR carried 6.4 million passengers in 2010 and reported a profit of $40 million.

 

Yang said it is hard to predict this year’s earnings, noting that the cost of jet fuel challenges the airline. “More than 50% of operational costs on a long-haul flight will be needed for fuel,” he said.

 

BR recently ordered 14 Airbus A321 aircraft to replace its MD-90 fleet.

 

“The A321s are an interim solution,” Yang said, noting the carrier is not sure if it would order the “neo or something else.” BR is evaluating whether to replace its A330s with Boeing 787s or A350s, most likely by 2015. Lin said that very large aircraft—the A380 or 747-8—are too big for the carrier’s needs. “We have 10 777s on order. Some of them will be freighters, some passenger [aircraft],” he said.

 

BR’s fleet comprises 15 777-300ERs, three 747-400s, four 747-400 Combis (to be phased out), one A330-300, 11 A330-200s, six MD-90s (to be phased out), nine 747-400Fs and eight MD-11Fs (to be phased out).

 

http://atwonline.com/airline-finance-data/news/eva-airways-join-alliance-2013-1110

[Raymund Yeoh 1]

One World please

[Y. J. Foo 0]

This article from Bloomberg from early this year strongly suggests that it will be *A.

[Isaac 0]

This article from Bloomberg from early this year strongly suggests that it will be *A.

Yeah. I hear they are leaning towards Star Alliance too.