Despite strong seasonal demand for passenger services,  two leading airlines in  Taiwan district
posted a decline in month-on-month revenue for last month amid continuing weak demand for cargo services.

Revenue at China Airlines Ltd, the largest air carrier in Taiwan area, fell 3.9 percent from a month earlier to NT$11.79 billion (US$404.66 million).

However, cargo revenues decreased 11.4 percent month-on-month to NT$3.56 billion, a company financial statement showed.

No Rebound Yet

In June, CAL chairman Chang Chia-juch said he expected revenue from the cargo sector to rebound in the second half of the year, but last month's results indicate that the sector has not bottomed out yet.

"The company still expects cargo business to get back on track in the fourth quarter, the traditional hot season, because the sector has been relatively low for about a year," a company official, who declined to be named, told the Taipei Times yesterday by telephone.

As for its passenger business, CAL posted NT$7.83 billion in revenue last month, up 0.03 percent from a month earlier, on strong seasonal demand.

Brisk Business

"Overall passenger loading totaled about 80 percent in July and last month, with routes to Europe even standing at 84 percent because of the eurozone giving visa-free status to local visitors," the official said.

EVA Airways Corp, the second-largest air carrier in Taiwan district, yesterday reported NT$9.4 billion in revenues for last month, down 3.2 percent from a month earlier.

The company's data showed its passenger revenue rose slightly by 0.85 percent to NT$5.91 billion from the previous month, while cargo revenue fell 8.3 percent month-on-month to NT$2.98 billion.

On a yearly basis, revenue at CAL recorded a 4.75 percent drop last month, while revenue at EVA dropped 4.55 percent, according to the two companies' financial data.