EVA Air has added six flights a week between Taipei and Shanghai, using airports near both cities’ downtown centers. The new service from Taipei’s Sungshan Airport to Shanghai’s Hongqiao International Airport started June 14, 2010 (today). It complements EVA’s current nine flights a week between Taoyuan International Airport and Pudong International Airport, and makes same-day round trips between Taipei and Shanghai easier and more convenient for business or leisure. Business and leisure travelers can book and buy tickets and reserve seats on EVA’s user-friendly website.

The airline celebrated the increased service with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the Taipei airport, a press conference in Shanghai hosted by EVA President James Jeng and inaugural-flight passenger gifts such as Taipei Flora Expo key rings and Taiwan’s famous pineapple cakes. Jeng also joined passengers on the flight.

Launching the service with a 152-seat McDonnell Douglas MD-90, EVA flight BR772 departs Taipei Sungshan at 13:45 (1:45 pm) and arrives in Shanghai Hongqiao at 15:35 (3:35 pm). Return flight BR771 departs Hongqiao at 19:50 (7:50 pm) and lands back in Sungshan at 21:45 (9:45 pm). EVA plans to increase capacity with a 252-passenger Airbus A330-200 in October 2010, after Sungshan Airport has completed expansion work.

The airline is the official carrier for the Taipei International Flora Expo, running Nov. 6, 2010 – April 25, 2011, and has a strategic alliance with the Shanghai Municipal Tourism Administration.  In addition to Shanghai’s international status as a business and financial center, it’s the host city for Expo 2010, which opened on May 1 and ends Oct. 31, 2010. Shanghai is also aggressively promoting tourism to the Yangtze River Delta area.

Recognized worldwide for its excellent food and attractions such as hot springs and Taroko Gorge, Taiwan is attracting a steady stream of visitors from China. Jeng extended special invitations to Taipei Mayor Lung-Bin Hau, Shanghai Tourism head S.M. Dao and other special guests at the press conference to come to Taipei for the Flora Expo.

The increased service and existing operations to Shanghai Pudong, Nanjing, Hangzhou and Ningbo give EVA and its UNI Air subsidiary a total of 34 weekly flights to the Yangtze River region. With its operations throughout China, the airline serves the nation’s 17 major cities with a total of 77 flights a week.

Taiwan-based EVA Air flies to major business and leisure centers worldwide, including Europe, Oceania and North America, and serves more destinations in Asia than any other carrier. From North American gateways in Los Angeles, Newark/New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto and Vancouver, EVA offers more trans-Pacific flights with easy one-stop connections via Taipei, Taiwan to China and more destinations throughout Asia than any other airline.