EVA Air (BR, Taipei Taoyuan) has applied for overflights rights over mainland China on its routes connecting Taipei Taoyuan with European destinations, Air Transport World has reported.

"So far, we do not have all overfly permits for direct service from Taipei to Europe via China. [If] that is granted, that could possibly save 1-2 hours of flight time," the Taiwanese carrier said.

Currently, EVA Air has to avoid mainland China while flying between Taiwan and Paris CDG. The carrier operates the daily flights using a detour through Russian airspace. Rival Air France (AF, Paris CDG), which flies between the two cities 3x weekly, is only allowed to use southern Chinese airspace and, as such, also does not fly the shortest route.

The Taiwanese airline uses southern Chinese airspace on its 3x weekly direct services to Vienna. Flights to Amsterdam Schiphol (3x weekly) and London Heathrow (daily), as well as the remaining 4x weekly services to Vienna, operate via Bangkok Suvarnabhumi, allowing the carrier to avoid mainland China.

China Airlines (CI, Taipei Taoyuan), whose European network encompasses Amsterdam, Rome Fiumicino, London Gatwick, Rome Fiumicino, and Vienna, is also not allowed to overfly mainland China en route to Europe. Besides Air France, the only other EU-based carrier serving Taiwan is KLM Royal Dutch Airlines (KL, Amsterdam Schiphol) which also has to avoid China on this route. Turkish Airlines (TK, Istanbul Airport) uses southern Chinese airspace only on its services from Istanbul Airport.

Meanwhile, Airline Route has reported that EVA Air has postponed the retirement of its B747-400(F) freighters to June 2, 2019. Previously, the carrier planned to end the service of the Boeing quadjets in late May 2019. According to the current schedule, the type's last services will be Taipei-Anchorage Ted Stevens-Los Angeles International-Taipei and Taipei-Singapore Changi-Bangkok Suvarnabhumi-Taipei on June 2.

EVA Air continues to operate a single B747-400(BDSF), B-16407 (msn 27899). The 24.4-year-old aircraft is owned by the carrier and had accumulated 106,638 flight hours and 20,002 flight cycles as of the end of March 2019.

The carrier ended passenger B747 operations in 2017.