Taiwan carrier EVA Airways has reported a huge dip in net profit for the second quarter, mostly due to a cabin crew strike this summer.
Profit sunk by 98% to NT$33 million (US$1.05 million) compared to last year’s NT$1.91 billion.
It was the lowest for nine quarters.
Profit was almost all but wiped out as EVA was forced to pay NT$805 million to compensate disrupted passengers, as well as increased non-operating expenses, the airline said.
It lost NT$2.11 billion in revenue as the strike dragged on for 10 days, forcing the cancellation of 469 flights.
Overall, it reported 2019 first half net profit of NT$1.94 billion, which is a down 42% year on year.
Despite the strike woes, it still performed better than rival China Airlines, which posted first half losses of NT$686 million as non-operating expenses surged by more than 150%.
