STARLUX Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan Soar: First-Half Revenue Hits Record High

STARLUX Airlines and Tigerair Taiwan have benefited from rising pre-summer travel demand, achieving strong revenue performance in June and setting new first-half revenue records. STARLUX Airlines will launch its first European route, 'Taipei-Prague,' on August 1. Tigerair Taiwan's first new A320neo Airspace aircraft was personally received by CEO Charles Chiu in Toulouse, France.

STARLUX Airlines reported June revenue of NT$5.287 billion, up 10% month-on-month and 41% year-on-year. Cumulative first-half revenue reached NT$28.553 billion, a 30% year-on-year increase, marking the highest in the company's history for the same period.

In passenger operations, June passenger revenue was NT$4.064 billion, up 12% MoM and 37% YoY. With travel demand rising ahead of the summer peak season, load factors on major routes remained stable. Cargo revenue reached NT$715 million in June, up 57% YoY, setting another monthly record. Strong import and export demand from AI, semiconductor, and traditional industries, combined with end-of-month and quarter-end shipment effects, drove continued cargo volume growth.

Regarding fleet development, STARLUX completed the delivery of its first 'Silver Mountain' livery aircraft in early July and plans to deploy it on popular routes. As the wide-body fleet expands, operational capacity will be effectively allocated to meet peak summer and high-demand route needs. The Taichung-Sapporo route will launch on October 2 with five weekly flights using the A321neo, increasing STARLUX's Taichung departure destinations to 11. The airline's first European route, 'Taipei-Prague,' will begin operations on August 1 with three weekly flights.

Tigerair Taiwan reported June consolidated revenue of NT$1.62 billion, up 27% YoY, the highest for the same period in history. Strong market demand enabled increased capacity deployment, with flight frequency up approximately 13% YoY in June and an average load factor reaching 91%.

From January to June, Tigerair's cumulative flight frequency increased 14% YoY, with average load factors consistently above 90%. First-half operating revenue surpassed the NT$10 billion mark, reaching NT$10.32 billion, up 22% YoY, another historical high.

Tigerair announced in early June the launch of two new routes—Kaohsiung-Ishigaki and Kaohsiung-Komatsu—in September, targeting strong outbound travel demand from southern Taiwan. This expands Tigerair's Japan routes from Kaohsiung to 11.

Additionally, Tigerair announced that its newly acquired A320neo fleet (starting with registration B-50031) will continue using 5% Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) during ferry flights from Toulouse, France. The airline has also introduced Airbus's latest Airspace cabin design, challenging the perception of low-cost carriers as basic. The first A320neo Airspace aircraft was received by CEO Charles Chiu and will enter service on the 16th.