EXPORTS TAKE OFF:
Shipments of semiconductor equipment helped EVA and China Airlines nearly double their revenue while Tigerair tripled business from last year
-
By Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter
China Airlines Ltd (CAL, 中華航空) and EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday reported high double-digit percentage growth in revenue last month on the back of booming cargo business.
CAL, which has 21 cargo jets, saw its freight revenue grow 68 percent annually to NT$12.7 billion (US$455.64 million) last month, which mitigated an annual drop of 23 percent in passenger revenue and boosted total revenue to NT$14.2 billion, up 58 percent year-on-year, it said.
The airline’s passenger load was 13.6 percent last month, down from 16.3 percent a year earlier, while its freight load rose slightly from 75.5 percent to 76.6 percent, with the cargo yield advancing from 13 to 19.73, company data showed.
Photo courtesy of China Airlines Ltd
CAL said in a statement that its cargo revenue growth reflected the nation’s strong exports, especially in semiconductor equipment, chips and antivirus products.
“Overall, demand for air shipping remains strong due to ongoing congestion at sea ports, and we will maximize our cargo revenue by offering high-priced and shorter charter flight services,” it said.
The airline continues to utilize some of its passenger jets for freight operations, it added.
EVA reported cargo revenue of NT$9.4 billion, up 96 percent from a year earlier, as it gained higher shipping capacity upon receiving two additional cargo jets in the fourth quarter of last year, raising its cargo fleet to eight.
The airline’s freight capacity expanded 14 percent year-on-year, while its cargo load slid from 93 percent a year earlier to 88.7 percent, it said.
EVA’s passenger revenue fell 68 percent last month, and the number of passengers declined 19 percent, it said.
Overall, the airline’s revenue expanded 59 percent annually to NT$10.65 billion last month, it said.
Tigerair Taiwan Ltd (台灣虎航) logged revenue of NT$41 million for last month, three times higher than a year earlier, as the nation’s only low-cost carrier leased its jets and crew to affiliate Mandarin Airlines Ltd (華信航空) for domestic flight services, it said.
Comments will be moderated. Keep comments relevant to the article. Remarks containing abusive and obscene language, personal attacks of any kind or promotion will be removed and the user banned. Final decision will be at the discretion of the Taipei Times.
