EVA Air wins design award

EVA Air, the Taiwanese airline has been awarded “Best Livery” in the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2007, for its quirky Hello Kitty jet. The Awards, featured in the February issue of the magazine, were announced at a party on January 10, 2007 and decided by a panel from the editorial team at the style bible.

Travel editor at Wallpaper* Jeroen Bergmans explained the decision: “Although airlines do try to be innovative in terms of design and luxury, often their first class lounges end up looking bland, corporate and at best like a modern furniture showroom. The food in first and business class may be Michelin-starred, the service of a very high standards and the seats my convert into flatbeds, but it is rare to come across a product that is fun and quirky. The EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet is camp, crazy and quintessentially Asian and will also keep those wailing children entertained throughout the flight!”

EVA Air’s two Hello Kitty jets have proved amazingly popular on routes from Taiwan to Japan, with flights booked up for months in advance and a huge demand for EVA Air, Hello Kitty memorabilia.

KW Nieh, EVA Air’s spokesperson commented: “We are of course delighted to be honoured by such a prestigious and influential title. Our customers love the EVA Air Hello Kitty Jet and it is gratifying to be recognised internationally as an innovative airline.”

The new Kitty Jet 2, themed inside and out, entertains passengers on special flights from Taipei to Nagoya, Osaka and Sendai and was introduced in October 2006. The second jet complements EVA’s established, successful Kitty Jet services to Fukuoka and Tokyo.

For further information on EVA Air go to: evaair.com.