CHANGE OF TACK: Revenue from EVA’s passenger business in the first five months of the year fell 54 percent, while its cargo sales increased by 57.9 percent, it said

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 03, 2020
By: Kao Shih-ching / Staff reporter

EVA Airways Corp (長榮航空) yesterday said that it aims to bolster its cargo capacity in expectation that revenues from its robust cargo business would offset losses from its passenger business due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.

The nation’s largest airline by fleet size in April began using passenger jets to carry cargo in the passenger cabins without transporting any people, in a bid to utilize its idle planes with many flights canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it said.

EVA, with 77 passenger jets and only five Boeing 777 cargo aircraft, plans to use more passenger jets for cargo operations to take advantage of the rising freight rates and demand, EVA president Clay Sun (孫嘉明) told an investors’ conference.

It would take three approaches to enlarge its cargo capacity, including providing cargo-only flights using the holds of passenger jets, putting cargo goods on passenger seats by fastening them and even removing the seats to increase capacity, Sun said.    [FULL  STORY]