EVA Air is introducing its brand-new Airbus A330-200s on its Taipei - Tokyo and Taipei -Hong Kong routes on July 21, 2003 and giving passengers to and from these destinations the opportunity to experience the carrier's luxurious new Premium Laurel business class and its advanced-comfort economy services.  Further enhancing passenger comfort and convenience on flights to Tokyo, Fukuoka and Osaka, 15 EVA crewmembers from Japan have been recruited to provide inflight services.

Tokyo-bound flights depart Taipei at 9:00 a.m. and 2:45 p.m., and return at 2:15 p.m. and 8:00 p.m.  The new Airbus is being used on two of EVA's six Hong Kong trips, BR865 at 9:20 a.m. and BR857 at 6:10 p.m.  From Hong Kong back to Taipei, it is being deployed on BR866 at 12:00 p.m. and BR858 at 9:00 p.m.

'Introduction of our new aircraft and Premium Laurel service makes travel on these routes more of a pleasure than ever,' said K.W. Chang, Chief Executive Vice President for EVA Air.  'Continually growing passenger demand on these very busy routes made them ideal markets for the launch of both the new A330-200s and our newly enhanced services.'

The thoughtful design of EVA's A330-200s features cutting-edge technology in an extra-wide cabin.  In the new Premium Laurel class, seats have a 61-in. pitch plus fully adjustable headrest angles and seat cushion depths.  Pneumatic lumbar supports and legrests are electronically operated and stretch seats out until they are almost flat.

EVA's new Premium Laurel seats are all equipped with 10.4-inch VGA LCD monitors, hi-fi and noise-cancellation earphones.  Audio Video on Demand (AVOD) systems, also provided in the airline's new advanced-comfort Economy Class on the A330-200s, allow passengers to personally select from among 10 films, 12 TV shorts, more than 350 pieces of music and five PC games using remote controls.

EVA augmented its introduction of the A330-200 on the Tokyo route by specially recruiting 15 crewmembers from Japan.  After a careful interview process, the recruits enrolled in the strict training program at the EVA Air Training Center in Taiwan, completed the sequence in April, and became official crewmembers on July 10.

EVA will add four more A330-200s in 2004 and four in 2005.  It will outfit these, in addition to other new aircraft it currently has on order, with Premium Laurel Class, and will gradually reconfigure its existing fleet with the upgraded business class.