Runway Closure Forces EVA Air to Revise July 2–3 Toronto Flights

Taiwanese carrier EVA Air issued an advisory on July 1 warning passengers that a partial runway closure at Toronto Pearson will disrupt BR-35/36 services between Toronto and Taipei via Taipei–Bangkok. The airline has retimed the July 2 departure to 23:55 (originally 22:20) and moved the July 3 return forward by one hour to free up scarce runway slots during the maintenance window. Although the schedule shift appears modest, the ramifications for connecting travellers are significant. BR-36 feeds into EVA’s early-afternoon Asia-Pacific bank in Taipei, which in turn connects to 14 onward destinations, from Ho Chi Minh City to Sydney. Missed minimum-connection times could leave passengers stranded for up to 24 hours because peak-season load factors are running above 90 % on most regional routes.



Should those disruptions force a last-minute stopover, VisaHQ can step in to streamline any urgent visa or transit-document requirements. Through its Canada portal (https://www.visahq.com/canada/), the service offers rapid Taiwanese visa processing, real-time application tracking, and dedicated support that is invaluable when airline schedules change overnight.

EVA Air is offering no-fee rebooking within 14 days or a full refund for affected itineraries, and has instructed travel agents to annotate Passenger Name Records with the special waiver code “YYZRUNWAY22.” Business travellers relying on same-day East-Asia connections are advised to explore alternative routings via Vancouver, Seattle or Los Angeles, where Star Alliance partners still have space. The disruption underscores the fragility of Canada-Asia air links this summer. Vancouver-based carriers have trimmed frequencies due to high fuel prices, and Air Canada’s Taipei service remains capped at five weekly rotations under bilateral limits. Mobility managers with projects in Taiwan should therefore secure backup seats early and brief employees on potential hotel and visa implications if an overnight stay in Taiwan becomes necessary.