EVA Airways Corp’s (長榮航空) average passenger load factor rose to above 80 percent in the first quarter of this year from 16 percent a year earlier thanks to a rebound in air travel, EVA president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) said yesterday.
The load factors for Taiwan-US and Taiwan-Europe flights were above 90 percent last quarter as more passengers transferred in Taiwan, Sun told a news conference in Taipei.
“Transfer passengers made up more than half of our US-bound passengers,” Sun said. “The bookings are strong this quarter, as US schools have holidays in May and many Chinese students have decided to fly back home with a transfer through Taiwan,” as there are fewer direct flights from the US to China, he said.
Photo: CNA
The airline provides up to 84 weekly flights to North America, including three daily flights from Taiwan to Los Angles, Sun said.
The airline’s load factors on flights to popular Asian destinations such as Vietnam and the Philippines also climbed above 90 percent in the first quarter, he added.
“There is no so-called slow or high season for passenger business now. Demand is good for short-haul flights and is particularly strong for long-haul flights,” Sun said.
Meanwhile, EVA’s ticket prices have risen more than 30 percent from their pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels, as fuel costs have increased by about 50 percent, Sun said, adding that fuel accounts for 40 percent of EVA’s total costs.
It remains to be seen when prices return to pre-COVID-19 levels, he said.
“However, we have observed an interesting trend. More young passengers fly business class or luxury economy class than before the pandemic,” Sun said.
EVA operates flights to major Chinese cities, such as Shanghai, Beijing, Xiamen, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Guangzhou and Hangzhou, as the country continues to ease its COVID-19 restrictions, Sun said.
The airline is planning to resume flights to other Chinese cities according to market demand, he added.
To prepare for increased demand in the summer, EVA has proposed to increase its weekly flights to Milan, Italy, by two, raising the total weekly flights to Europe to 32, Sun said.
In the first quarter, EVA’s revenue from its passenger business totaled NT$27.75 billion (US$903.2 million), 17 times higher than a year earlier, with passenger numbers advancing 30-fold to 2.2 million, while cargo revenue plunged 60 percent to NT$10.45 billion on the back of falling freight rates, the company’s data showed.
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