“This is a great honor and also a great responsibility,” EVA Chairman Steve Lin said at the presentation ceremony in Taipei City. “It is extremely gratifying that all of our hard work to keep quality service and safety as our top priorities is recognized.”
In response, Skytrax CEO Edward Plaisted said the recognition makes EVA the U.K.-headquartered organization’s eighth five-star international airline, joining All Nippon Airways Co. Ltd., Asiana Airlines Inc., Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd., Hainan Airlines Co. Ltd. Garuda Indonesia, Singapore Airlines and Qatar Airways.
“EVA passengers enjoy a high-quality product, supported by outstanding five-star staff service in both the airport and onboard environments,” he added.
According to Skytrax, EVA was rated a four-star airline for eight consecutive years, and garnered its five-star status after outperforming in many of the 800-plus assessment areas such as airline lounges, airport services, cabin staff, in-flight entertainment, onboard catering and seat comfort. The organization’s latest annual assessment involved more than 180 carriers worldwide.
Yang Gwo-feng, chief secretary of Taiwan’s Civil Aeronautics Administration, said EVA deserves the rating and it is the first time in the island’s aviation industry for a local airline to be afforded such an honor.
Established in 1989 as Taiwan’s first privately owned carrier, EVA is a regular winner of aviation industry and travel surveys. It ranked third in the 2016 global airline safety report by Germany-based aviation safety information provider Jet Airliner Crash Data Evaluation Centre, and has been named one of the world’s top 10 safest airlines eight times since 2004 by Germany-headquartered airline industry magazine Aero International.
EVA and China Airlines are two Taiwan carriers operating international routes. There are four others offering domestic and cross-strait services. EVA is part of Taipei-based Evergreen Group, owner of leading international shipping firm Evergreen Marine Corp. Its fleet of nearly 70 Airbus and Boeing jets flies to more than 60 destinations throughout Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania. (WF-E)
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