THE STAR Alliance Chief Executive Board has accepted a bid from Taiwanese carrier EVA Air to join its ranks.
Air China, a member of the alliance since end-2007, has been appointed mentor airline to assist in Eva Air’s gradual integration.
“EVA Air is a very good fit for Star Alliance as the airline will add many new routes to our global network, with a specific focus on the growing Far East aviation market,” said Star Alliance CEO, Mark Schwab.
EVA Air’s network of around 60 destinations will add Kaohsiung in Taiwan and Surabaya in Indonesia as unique airports to the Star Alliance portfolio.
In addition, Taiwan’s geographic location will add to the quality of Star Alliance hubs in Asia, as it has the shortest average distance to all major cities in the region.
“After careful evaluation, we concluded that Star Alliance offers the best match for EVA Air,” said James Jeng, chairman, EVA Air.
“Our networks complement each other, and we will expand the existing alliance flight options in the growing cross-straits market. In addition, our partnership with Air China makes the Star Alliance especially attractive to us.”
Star Alliance will have eight member carriers based in Asia-Pacific by mid-2013.
