EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) on Wednesday reported its highest-ever net profit for the first quarter, citing strong demand during the Lunar New Year holiday and the winter vacation period.
The company in a statement said it posted NT$8.27 billion (US$262.46 million) in net profit during the January-to-March period, up from NT$5.93 billion a year earlier. Earnings per share stood at NT$1.53, compared with NT$1.10 a year earlier, it said.
The profit was a record for the first quarter and its second-highest quarterly figure, EVA Airways said.
Consolidated sales in the first quarter rose 10.1 percent from a year earlier to NT$60.52 billion, with revenue generated from passenger flight operations rising 10.7 percent year-on-year to NT$40.30 billion, it said.
The peak season effects in the first quarter boosted the average load factor — an industry metric that measures percentage of passenger capacity used — to 84.1 percent, while the number of passengers the airline handled rose 10.1 percent from a year earlier, it added.
