China Airlines vs EVA Air: Which Taiwanese Airline Should You Fly?

Pick EVA Air for most trips between the US and Taiwan. It is a Skytrax 5-Star airline ranked No. 11 in the world in 2026, it serves 8 US mainland cities, and its premium economy was just named the world’s best.

Pick China Airlines if you collect Delta SkyMiles or other SkyTeam miles, if you fly from Ontario or Phoenix, or if you want a newer airplane. About 60% of its passenger fleet is A350s and A321neos, against roughly 27% new-generation jets at EVA.

This comparison uses Skytrax, AirlineRatings.com, both airlines’ published fleets and route launches, and their 2025 financial results, as of October 2026.

Service and ratings

This is where the two airlines are furthest apart. Skytrax certifies EVA Air as a 5-Star airline, a grade it has held for 11 straight years, and ranked it No. 11 in the world at its 2026 awards, up from No. 12.

China Airlines is a Skytrax 4-Star airline. It climbed to No. 30 in 2026 from No. 37 a year earlier, which is real progress, but it is still 19 places behind its Taoyuan neighbor.

Skytrax’s own rating page explains why: “EVA Air rates very highly for the quality, efficiency and consistency of staff service, both onboard flights and at their home base of Taipei Taoyuan Airport.”

Both airlines sit on our list of the best airlines in the world, but only EVA plays in the same league as Singapore Airlines and Cathay Pacific.

Edge: EVA Air. One star and 19 Skytrax places ahead.

Safety record

EVA Air has never lost an aircraft or a passenger since it began flying in July 1991. AirlineRatings.com placed it No. 8 among the world’s safest full-service airlines for 2026, its 13th year in a row on the list.

“Flight safety is the most important and non-negotiable core value of EVA Air,” said EVA President Clay Sun when the ranking came out in January 2026.

China Airlines has a much heavier history. It lost an A300 at Nagoya in 1994 (264 killed), another A300 at Taipei in 1998 (196 aboard and 6 on the ground), and a 747-200 that broke up over the Taiwan Strait in May 2002, killing all 225 people aboard Flight 611.

Investigators traced Flight 611 to a 1980 tail-strike repair that was not done to Boeing’s repair manual, which let fatigue cracks grow for 22 years. That accident is on our list of the worst airplane crashes.

The honest caveat: 2002 was 24 years ago, and China Airlines has had no fatal accident since. It does not appear in AirlineRatings’ 2026 top 25, but missing a top-25 list is not evidence of an unsafe airline today.

Edge: EVA Air. A clean 35-year record and a top-10 safety ranking.

US routes

EVA flies from Taipei to 8 US mainland cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Houston, Chicago, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth (from late 2025) and Washington Dulles, which opened on June 26, 2026, with four flights a week.

China Airlines serves 6: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, New York JFK, Ontario in Southern California, and Phoenix. Phoenix opened on December 3, 2025, three times a week on an A350-900, as the first nonstop between Phoenix and Asia.

Ontario and Phoenix are China Airlines’ real advantage. If you live in the Inland Empire or Arizona, it saves you a drive to LAX or a connection. A partnership with Southwest also lets China Airlines passengers connect to Southwest flights at its US gateways.

EVA wins on the middle and east of the country. Of the two, only EVA flies nonstop from Chicago, Houston, Dallas and Washington.

Edge: EVA Air. Two more US cities, including the only Taipei nonstops of the two from Texas, Illinois and the Washington area.

Fleet and aircraft age

This is the one big criterion China Airlines wins. Of its 67 passenger jets in August 2026, 22 were A321neos and 18 were Airbus A350-900s, so 60% of the fleet was a new-generation type.

EVA’s long-haul backbone is still 32 Boeing 777-300ERs, plus 17 older A321-200s and 9 A330-300s. Its 21 Boeing 787-9s and 787-10s make up about 27% of the passenger fleet.

Both airlines are renewing. EVA has 24 Airbus A350-1000s on order, with the first expected in late 2027, to replace older 777s. China Airlines has ordered 15 A350-1000s and 10 Boeing 777-9s, and its first 787-9s are due in early 2027.

For a US trip, the type on your flight matters more than the fleet average. China Airlines flies the A350 to Phoenix, while EVA runs its new Washington route with the newer Boeing 787-9.

Edge: China Airlines. More than twice EVA’s share of new-generation jets.

Premium economy and business class

EVA invented the cabin. Skytrax calls it “the pioneer of Premium Economy class back in 1992,” and in 2026 named EVA the world’s best premium economy and best premium economy amenities.

EVA sells premium economy on its 777-300ERs (56 to 64 seats) and its 787-9s (28 seats), but not on its 787-10s, which carry only business and economy. Check the aircraft before you book that cabin.

China Airlines has premium economy on its A350-900s (31 seats) and 777-300ERs (62 seats). Our ranking of the best premium economy airlines covers how the two compare with Asian rivals.

In business class the gap is smaller. Rachel Yuan of Points Miles and Bling, who flew all three Taiwanese airlines in business, wrote in March 2026 that EVA “excels in soft product and consistency”, while China Airlines “falls behind with an older seat, lack of pyjamas, and weaker bedding.”

She did rate China Airlines’ food the best of the three. China Airlines has also announced upgraded cabins for 15 of its A350s, with the first due back in service in 2027.

Edge: EVA Air. The world’s best premium economy, and the more consistent business class.

Alliances and miles

EVA has been a Star Alliance member since June 2013. You can earn and spend United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan or ANA miles on EVA flights, and its own program is Infinity MileageLands.

China Airlines joined SkyTeam in September 2011, as the first Taiwanese airline in any alliance. Its program is Dynasty Flyer, and its SkyTeam partners include Delta, Air France-KLM and Korean Air.

Neither is better in the abstract. Pick the one whose alliance holds your miles and status, because that decides lounge access and upgrades.

Edge: Even. Your existing loyalty program decides this one.

Size and money

The two airlines are close in size. EVA reported consolidated revenue of NT$220.3 billion for 2025, and China Airlines NT$209.1 billion.

Cargo is a big part of China Airlines’ business: NT$66.8 billion of its 2025 revenue, up 10% on 2024, flown largely on 18 Boeing 747-400F and 777F freighters.

Edge: Even. Neither is a small or fragile airline.

What about Starlux?

Taiwan now has a third long-haul airline, and many travelers compare all three. Starlux kept its Skytrax 5-Star rating for a second year in 2026, ranked No. 13 in the world and won Skytrax’s world’s cleanest airline award.

AirlineRatings.com also put Starlux at No. 11 on its 2026 safest full-service list, in its first year on the list. That places it between EVA and China Airlines on both rankings.

It is the newest of the three and still building its US network, so for most US routes the real choice is still EVA or China Airlines.

Who should pick which

If the fare and the schedule are close, EVA is the better airline. China Airlines earns the booking when it flies from your airport, carries your miles, or puts you on an A350.