TAIPEI (TVBS News) — The beginning of 2023 was off to a rocky start for EVA Air passengers as flights were delayed due to a lack of ground crew assistance.
Many of the EVA Air ground crew opted to take sudden leaves during the new year's holiday in protest after receiving only one-month salary as their year-end bonus.
At the Taoyuan International Airport, passengers could be seen crowding the waiting area as their flights continue to be delayed. Arriving passengers also took longer to retrieve their baggages as the few members left of the ground crew hurried to and from the planes.
EVA Air ground crew had long been short of staff, but in the aftermath of the protests, the original 70-member crew in charge of luggage dropped to fewer than 20.
On New Year's Day, the protests saw a delay of 24 passenger and 7 cargo departing flights as of 11 a.m., while 13 passenger and 3 cargo flights also arrived behind schedule.
The company issued apologies and quickly sought assistance from other ground crew companies to make up for the delays, as around 3,000 passengers were impacted by the staff shortage.