Tigerair Taiwan to add three new routes to Japan, South Korea

Taipei, June 19 (CNA) Tigerair Taiwan will add three new routes between Taichung and Japan and South Korea in July, the airline announced Wednesday, buoyed by growing demand as the travel industry rebounds from the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The airline said at its annual shareholders meeting that it will launch new routes between Taichung and Nagoya, Taichung and Tokyo's Narita International Airport, and Taichung and Busan next month, which will bring the number of routes it operates to 38.

The new routes come as Tigerair Taiwan, Taiwan's only budget airline, continues to benefit from a resurgence in the travel industry in the past 12 months following three difficult years during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tigerair Taiwan said its revenue in the first five months of 2024 was up 50 percent year-over-year, and its first quarter revenue of NT$4.25 billion (US$131.24 million) was up 64 percent from the previous year.

Also in the first quarter, its operating profit was NT$1.24 billion, up 124 percent from a year earlier. It had net income of NT$861 million and earnings per share of NT$1.92, helping offset deficits run up during the pandemic and pushing its book value per share higher to NT$11.35.

Launched in 2014, Tigerair Taiwan now flies to 27 destinations in Asian countries and areas, including Japan, South Korea, Macau, Thailand and Vietnam.