EVA Airways Corp (
Net income in the three months to June 30 was NT$521 million (US$15 million), compared with a loss of NT$2 billion in the period a year earlier.
The second-quarter figure, obtained by subtracting first-quarter profit from first-half figures, was published by the company yesterday.
EVA reiterated its goal of a net profit of NT$2.8 billion this year.
"Second-half profit should be good," said Nieh Kuo-wei (聶國維), a spokesman for the carrier. "We should be able to meet our earnings prediction."
EVA's second-quarter sales rose 57 percent to NT$19.3 billion, according to the company's monthly sales reports.
Passenger sales were strong in July and August, Nieh said, and the company expects cargo business to pick up from next month as Taiwanese companies ship more products to the US and Europe before the Christmas shopping season.
On Thursday, China Airlines Ltd (華航), Taiwan's largest carrier, reported a smaller-than-expected second-quarter profit, as soaring fuel costs dented its recovery from the loss last year caused by the SARS epidemic.
Net income was NT$532 million (US$16 million), compared with a loss of NT$1.36 billion in last year's second quarter.
China Airlines' second-quarter sales rose 59 percent from a year ago to NT$22.2 billion, the company said earlier.
EVA Airways' operating margin rose to 4.9 percent in the first half of the year, compared with minus 2.7 percent a year earlier. It was higher than the 3.6 percent operating margin China Airlines had in the first half.
EVA Airways' shares closed 1.9 percent higher at NT$13.70 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday, the highest since July 7, while shares in China Airlines were unchanged at NT$17.5.
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