Reviving with a push for the “safest” airline: Aiming for a sevenfold increase in corporate invoicing

▲ Lin Lei, Deputy CEO of TransAsia Airways, explains the airline’s flight safety improvement measures.

Reported by Yu Jiayun / Taipei

On the 12th, TransAsia Airways held a flight safety improvement briefing. Lin Lei, Deputy CEO of TransAsia Airways, stated that the airline has been actively enhancing its flight safety standards over the past year and this year, and has successively passed multiple related inspections. It has also established dedicated business departments targeting the financial sector, government agencies, and chain enterprises, hoping to regain the confidence of former clients and expand its base of large corporate customers.

TransAsia Airways’ operations were severely affected after two air disasters within a year, Lin Lei said. In addition to intensively strengthening pilot training, the airline also maintained the best safety performance with zero penalties and zero deductions in both the first and second quarters of 2016 (Civil Aeronautics Administration’s 105th year), which will lead to a significant premium reduction of 73% next year, saving approximately 200 million Taiwan dollars annually.

TransAsia Airways is now focusing its revenue sources on corporate clients, having set up dedicated business departments for the financial sector, government agencies, and chain enterprises, and offering domestic fares that are 1,000 to 2,000 Taiwan dollars cheaper than the other two major airlines to attract corporate customers. In the first three quarters of this year, the number of corporate clients of TransAsia Airways increased from 300 to over 700, with invoicing volume growing sevenfold.

In addition, Lin Lei also specifically addressed the sharp decline in the number of mainland Chinese tourists visiting Taiwan. Regarding this issue, Lin Lei stated that the airline will stabilize cross-strait routes by tapping into Taiwanese business clientele and focusing on flights originating from Taiwan, using this as an important boost to revenue.