As part of modernizing its fleet, EVA Air ordered 33 Airbus aircraft including 18 A350-1000s and 15 A321neos.
Continue reading to learn more.
EVA Air Orders Over 30 A350-1000 and A321neo Aircraft
On January 9, 2024, Airbus announced that EVA Air finalized an order for 18 A350-1000s and 15 A321neos.
This represents EVA Air’s first order of these aircraft types. That said, while the airline has no A350 in its fleet yet, it does operate a fleet of just under 20 A321ceos.
The deal is valued at $10.1 billion.
No delivery timeline for the ordered aircraft has been provided yet.
Another Airline Replacing 777-300ERs with A350-1000s
Currently, EVA Air operates a fleet of A330-200, A330-300, 777-300ER, 787-9, and 787-10 widebodies.
Of those, the three A330-200s are the oldest (just over 18 years on average), followed by the 777-300ERs (just under 11 years on average). The A330-300s are oldest (just over 11 years on average), followed by the 777-300ERs. The A330-300s are the third oldest widebody type in the airline’s fleet at just under 9 years.
The A330s are currently being replaced by 787s – the process is expected to be done by 2029.
Until today, it was not completely clear how the 777-300ERs would be replaced. However, with today’s deal the decision is partially clear. At least a portion of the 777-300ERs will be replaced by the A350-1000.
With that, in another blow to Boeing, EVA Air is another airline that is shifting away from the 777-300ER toward the A350-1000 due to the lack of other alternatives among other things. While Boeing is working on the 777X, plagued with certification delays, there is a high degree of uncertainty as to when it will enter into service.
JAL and Etihad Airways are among the airlines replacing their 777-300ERs with A350-1000s, with the former replacing its 13 777-300ERs with A350-1000s one-to-one. EVA Air’s President, Clay Sun said “For long-range operations the A350-1000 sets new standards in its class and will allow us to offer our passengers the best possible in-flight experience.”
All that said, having ordered only enough A350-1000s to replace about half of its 777-300ER fleet, EVA Air is keeping its options open. Given that only about half of its 777-300ER fleet is around the 15-year-old or older mark, that makes sense and gives the airline the chance to see how things around the 777X develop.
As for narrowbodies, EVA Air currently only operates the A321-200s. While it was reported in the past that the airline would shift away from them toward more widebodies, the new order shows the airline has decided to maintain a small narrowbody fleet for lower-demand flights.
Summary
In another blow to Boeing, EVA Air chose the A350-1000 for partial replacement of its aging 777-300ER fleet. In addition to 18 A350-1000s, the airline also ordered 15 A321neos, showing its decision to maintain a small narrowbody fleet.
While it is not clear when exactly the aircraft will be delivered, EVA Air ordered just enough A350-1000s to cover those 777-300ERs in its fleet that are about 15 years old and older. It is likely still considering what the best option will be for replacing its 777-300ERs younger than ten years.
