Taipei: Taiwan’s international airlines have reported exceptional sales figures for April, with China Airlines (CAL), Starlux Airlines, and Tigerair Taiwan all achieving significant revenue milestones.
According to Focus Taiwan, CAL announced that it generated NT$20.85 billion (US$664 million) in consolidated sales in April, marking a 16.49 percent increase from the previous year.
The surge in CAL’s passenger flight sales, which climbed by 9.58 percent to NT$11.65 billion, was attributed to heightened demand during Japan and South Korea’s cherry blossom season and the Songkran festival in Southeast Asia. CAL noted that the load factor, an important industry metric indicating the percentage of passenger capacity utilized, remained high at over 85 percent on flights to destinations such as Tokyo, Fukuoka, Seoul, and several locations in China and Oceania. Additionally, CAL reported a 27.13 percent rise in cargo revenue to NT$7.33 billion, fueled by increased fuel surcharges and strong shipments of AI-related devices.
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, reported consolidated sales of NT$4.68 billion for April, reflecting a 30 percent increase from the previous year. Starlux attributed the 28 percent rise in passenger flight sales, which reached approximately NT$3.70 billion, to the demand during the Tomb Sweeping Festival holiday. The airline also experienced a 38 percent increase in cargo revenue, amounting to NT$520 million, driven by strong demand for AI and cloud applications.
Low-cost carrier Tigerair Taiwan announced a 27 percent increase in consolidated sales, totaling NT$1.65 billion in April. The airline achieved an average load factor of nearly 90 percent, which is a 5.4 percentage point increase from the previous year.
In the cumulative first four months of 2023, CAL’s consolidated sales rose by 10.30 percent to NT$77.81 billion, while Starlux Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan saw sales increase by 25 percent and 21 percent, reaching NT$18.44 billion and NT$7.19 billion, respectively. Additionally, EVA Airways reported a record high for April with consolidated sales of NT$21.97 billion, an 18.89 percent increase from a year earlier. EVA’s total sales for the first four months of the year reached NT$82.49 billion, which is a 12.34 percent rise from the previous year.