Taipei Songshan Airport (TSA) is a city-center airport with constrained ground operating space. EVA Air now operates Boeing 787-10 flights from Songshan to Tokyo Haneda and Shanghai Hongqiao, while China Airlines predominantly deploys its Airbus A350-900 from Taoyuan. Understanding the different aircraft assignments involves stand compatibility, wingspan and operational requirements.
EVA Air's 787-10 was trial-parked at Songshan on April 16, 2020. The trials examined aircraft stop lines, passenger boarding bridges, wingtip clearances and tail-to-service-road distances; one parking position initially faced a bridge compatibility issue. Songshan Airport safety-management materials document mitigation plans including revised markings, on-aircraft stand trials, Code E taxiway preparations and planned electrical-equipment changes at stands 5–7. These targeted adjustments should not be confused with a wholesale rebuilding of the apron.
On August 22, 2023, EVA Air launched scheduled 787-10 operations at Songshan with flight BR190 to Haneda and announced deployment to both Haneda and Hongqiao. The airline stated that the 342-seat aircraft offered approximately ten percent more capacity than its A330-300.
Taiwan's currently effective aeronautical information publication, dated October 1, 2026, lists Songshan's Runway 10/28 as 2,605 meters long and 60 meters wide. Aircraft stand data specify the A330-300 as the maximum type for stands 3 and 9 and the Boeing 777-200 for stands 4 through 7; the A350-900 is not listed. This does not by itself establish an absolute prohibition on A350 landings, but it raises a practical question about the aircraft's suitability for routine ground operations.
Wingspan is a key distinction: approximately 60.1 meters for the Boeing 787-10 and 64.75 meters for the Airbus A350-900. Although both are ICAO Code E aircraft, that designation does not guarantee identical clearance, taxiway, stand or boarding-bridge compatibility. The adaptations made for the 787-10 do not automatically authorize the A350.
A 2,605-meter runway alone does not prove that every A350 operation would be impossible. Performance depends on aircraft mass, temperature, wind, runway conditions, obstacles and relevant procedures. Songshan is designated a special airport due to terrain and building obstructions, with mandatory departure climb gradients. The public information reviewed here does not establish exactly which A350 loading conditions, if any, could support a specific Songshan operation.
Tokyo Haneda already accommodates A350 aircraft, including Japan Airlines' A350-1000. EVA Air's Songshan–Haneda and Songshan–Hongqiao operations use the 787-10, while China Airlines continues to use the A330 family from Songshan and concentrates A350 flying at Taoyuan. Deployment decisions also depend on demand, fleet availability and airport operating conditions.
Public information does not establish a blanket ban on A350-900 operations at Songshan, nor an announced China Airlines plan to introduce the type there. EVA Air's 787-10 introduction illustrates why each new widebody aircraft requires specific stand, taxiway and flight-performance assessments rather than a runway-length comparison alone.
