Starlux Airlines posts almost 70% year-on-year sales growth in September

Taipei, Oct. 13 (CNA) Starlux Airlines, Taiwan's newest international carrier, said Monday its September sales rose almost 70 percent from a year earlier amid strong demand for passenger travel and for cargo shipments of tech devices during the current artificial intelligence (AI) boom.

Starlux said it generated NT$4.98 billion (US$155.31 million) in consolidated sales in September, up 69 percent from a year earlier.

The carrier's passenger revenue rose 70 percent from a year earlier in September, while cargo revenue rose 59 percent to NT$706 million.

In the first nine months of this year, Starlux's consolidated sales totaled NT$44.84 billion, up 37 percent from a year earlier.

Starlux said the fourth quarter is a traditional peak season for international trade, and foreign buyers are expected to keep building inventories of AI servers, semiconductor equipment and electronic components. Citing that trend and year-end shopping demand, Starlux said it was optimistic about its cargo business in the quarter.

Starlux added that it expects growth in its passenger business to continue after it launched new routes in October, including Taipei-Bali, Taichung-Sapporo and Taichung-Nagoya.

As it takes delivery of new aircraft, Starlux said, it will increase flights and deploy larger planes in its winter schedule, including A330neos on its Taipei-Hakodate and Taipei-Chiang Mai routes. It will also deploy A350-1000s on its Taipei-Los Angeles and Taipei-San Francisco routes later this quarter, the carrier said.

Late last week, Taiwan's other major international carriers also reported solid September sales.

China Airlines (CAL) said its consolidated sales totaled NT$20.93 billion in September, a record for the month and up 31.86 percent from a year earlier. Passenger revenue rose 30.73 percent to NT$11.46 billion, and cargo revenue rose 41.82 percent to NT$7.62 billion.

EVA Airways reported consolidated sales of NT$20.75 billion in September, up 32.86 percent from a year earlier. Passenger revenue rose 28.09 percent to NT$11.94 billion, and cargo revenue rose 42.55 percent to NT$6.17 billion.

Both CAL and EVA cited strong passenger demand during the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, while their cargo businesses benefited from global demand for AI servers and consumer electronics.

In the first nine months of this year, CAL and EVA Air posted NT$185.92 billion and NT$194.38 billion, respectively, in consolidated sales, up 20 percent and 19.48 percent from a year ealier.

Tigerair Taiwan, the country's only low-cost carrier, said its average load factor -- the percentage of seats filled -- topped 90 percent in September, helping it lift revenue 36 percent from a year earlier to NT$1.74 billion.

Tigerair Taiwan's consolidated sales for the first nine months totaled NT$15.62 billion, up 24 percent from a year earlier.