David B.
31st July 2008, 11:38 PM
Stuff.co.nz (http://www.stuff.co.nz/4638595a13.html)
Taiwanese airline EVA Air is the first airline to pull the plug on services to New Zealand because of high fuel prices.
The carrier has been flying between Taipei and Auckland for 14 years and presently operates two direct return flights on Wednesday and Friday of each week with Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
It will suspend services from September, sales manager Erik Lee said tonight.
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It will continue to operate three flights a week into Brisbane but it intends cutting back between 70 and 80 flights a week on its global network following an operational review.
Lee said the suspension of New Zealand services was purely because of the cost of flying here on today's jet fuel prices. Jet fuel was hovering around $US159 a barrel today.
He said the route had been a loss maker for EVA Air for more than a year and that was when fuel was much cheaper
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There is considerable speculation in the airline industry that two Asian carriers are considering pulling out of direct flights to New Zealand soon and routing instead through Australia to get more seats filled.
Summary:
A) EVA Air to suspend AKL services come SEP
B) The route has been a loss maker for some time
C) The airline intends to maintain a presence in AKL
D) EVA will continue to operate services to BNE (will become sole Oceanic destination)
Cheers
Taiwanese airline EVA Air is the first airline to pull the plug on services to New Zealand because of high fuel prices.
The carrier has been flying between Taipei and Auckland for 14 years and presently operates two direct return flights on Wednesday and Friday of each week with Airbus A330-200 aircraft.
It will suspend services from September, sales manager Erik Lee said tonight.
---
It will continue to operate three flights a week into Brisbane but it intends cutting back between 70 and 80 flights a week on its global network following an operational review.
Lee said the suspension of New Zealand services was purely because of the cost of flying here on today's jet fuel prices. Jet fuel was hovering around $US159 a barrel today.
He said the route had been a loss maker for EVA Air for more than a year and that was when fuel was much cheaper
---
There is considerable speculation in the airline industry that two Asian carriers are considering pulling out of direct flights to New Zealand soon and routing instead through Australia to get more seats filled.
Summary:
A) EVA Air to suspend AKL services come SEP
B) The route has been a loss maker for some time
C) The airline intends to maintain a presence in AKL
D) EVA will continue to operate services to BNE (will become sole Oceanic destination)
Cheers