Washington Dulles has a new record-holder: a non-stop EVA Air service to Taipei Taoyuan covering roughly 7,800 miles, the longest route from the airport. It launched on June 26, 2026 and runs four times a week, with departures from Washington on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays, and returns out of Taipei on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. Scheduled flight times stretch past 15 hours depending on direction.
The route is flown by a Boeing 787-9 in a three-class layout: 26 Royal Laurel business seats, 28 Premium Economy seats and 224 in Economy. Premium Economy is worth a look here — it's EVA's newer fourth-generation product, designed with extra personal space rather than just being a roomier Economy. On a 15-hour flight, that middle cabin can be a genuine sweet spot between a business-class fare and a standard seat.
For travellers, the practical win is skipping a connection. East Coast passengers heading to Taiwan previously had to change planes somewhere — usually Tokyo, Seoul or a US West Coast gateway. Now it's one aircraft all the way, which can shave several hours off the trip. Just as useful, Taipei Taoyuan works as a onward hub: if your destination is elsewhere in Asia with poor direct service from Washington, you can connect through Taipei instead of the usual Japanese or South Korean hubs. EVA's Taipei flights compete directly with options from ANA, Japan Airlines, Korean Air and Asiana for that East Coast traffic.
The launch also signals a broader shift. EVA now serves ten North American gateways, and its recent additions — Dallas/Fort Worth in 2025 and Washington in 2026 — push beyond the traditional Los Angeles–San Francisco–Seattle pattern. Starlux, the other big Taiwanese carrier, started Phoenix–Taipei non-stop in January 2026 on an A350-900, later stepping up to four weekly flights. Modern efficient widebodies like the 787-9 make these thinner, longer routes viable without needing jumbo-sized demand.
Early numbers suggest the market is there: EVA reported load factors above 90% in July 2026, the route's first full month. The airline and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority estimate more than $61 million in annual economic impact for the National Capital Region, and Dulles itself handled over 10.5 million international passengers in 2025, with London Heathrow its busiest international destination. Washington's mix of diplomats, international organisations, universities and a sizable Taiwanese community gives the route a solid passenger base on both ends.
If you're on the US East Coast and Taiwan — or anywhere in Asia via Taipei — is on your list, this is now one of the simplest ways to do it. Book early for summer dates given that first-month demand, and consider Premium Economy if the fare gap is reasonable: on a flight this long, the extra space pays for itself.
