TAIPEI (TVBS News) — As travel demand soars, EVA Air President Sun Chia-ming (孫嘉明) warned on Sunday (Sept. 1) that rising operational costs could drive airfares higher in 2025, making it easier for prices to increase than to decrease.
Despite the current stability in ticket prices for North American, European, and Northeast Asian routes, Sun highlighted the strong likelihood of hikes during peak travel seasons.
Sun remarked that Southeast Asia, including popular tourist destinations like Thailand's Chiang Mai, Vietnam's Da Nang, and Indonesia's Bali, has the most stable airfares.
He further explained that the Hong Kong-Macao route shows more significant price drops due to the current oversupply, making cheap tickets more accessible.
Sun emphasized that costs for aircraft maintenance, airport operations, personnel, food supplies, and fuel have all risen, making it challenging for ticket prices to return to pre-pandemic levels.
He also pointed out that to support carbon reduction, many airlines have started using Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), which is three to four times more expensive than traditional aviation fuel.
Passengers should prepare for higher airfares in the coming years as airlines grapple with these mounting costs.