China Airlines posts best-ever August sales; EVA Air's sales hit high

Taipei, Sept. 10 (CNA) China Airlines (CAL) posted its highest-ever sales for August as the global tourism market boomed and solid demand for cargo services continued, while EVA Airways recorded its third consecutive monthly sales high in August, the two carriers said Tuesday.

In a statement, CAL said consolidated sales totaled NT$17.75 billion (US$552 million) in August, up 8.99 percent from a year earlier.

Demand for passenger flights remained robust with sales generated from the division rising 3.51 percent from a year earlier to NT$11.19 billion in August and the load factor for all destinations -- an industry metric to measure how much of an airline's passenger carrying capacity is used -- staying above 80 percent, CAL said.

CAL said solid demand for AI servers, semiconductor equipment and high-end engines in August boosted cargo service sales by 24.26 percent from a year earlier to NT$53.1 billion, the highest monthly level this year.

CAL added that the carrier continued to enjoy an increase in demand for passenger flights in September due to the upcoming Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, in particular for destinations in Japan, while cargo services have entered peak season with many international brands set to introduce new smartphones and PCs this month.

For its part, EVA Air said it posted NT$19.93 billion in consolidated sales in August, up 9.66 percent year-on-year. Since June, the carrier has seen revenue hit several new monthly highs.

Its passenger flights generated about NT$12.98 billion in sales in August as peak season effects in summer continued to push up demand, EVA Air said.

The load factor of flights to Milan and Munich topped 95 percent, while that on flights to Chiang Mai, Da Nang, Bali, and Phnom Penh, as well as destinations in Japan surpassed 90 percent, it added.

EVA Air said revenue in its cargo division surged 48.65 percent in August from a year earlier to NT$4.73 billion in the wake of strong cargo service demand to transport fashion items and electronic devices in the month.

Meanwhile, Starlux Airlines, the newest international carrier in Taiwan, reported a 60 percent year-on-year surge in consolidated sales for August, totaling NT$3.31 billion.

The carrier said that its passenger flight revenue increased by 57 percent to NT$2.84 billion, boosted by the back-to-school season.

Starlux Airlines said its cargo services generated NT$328 million in sales in August, soaring 131 percent from a year earlier, which marked the sixth consecutive monthly record high, due to growing demand for space to transport items from e-commerce operators and AI-related devices.

To meet demand in the tourism market, Starlux said it will introduce two A350-900s at the end of this year to boost its fleet to 26 aircraft.

As Taiwan's only budget carrier, Tigerair Taiwan reported its highest ever consolidated sales of NT$1.53 billion for August, up NT$292 million from a year earlier, as its number of flights increased by 20 percent from a year earlier.

With the number of flights up 40 percent from a year earlier in the first eight months of this year, Tigerair Taiwan said its consolidated sales rose 43 percent to NT$11.37 billion.