Taipei: Amid booming post-pandemic travel demand across the globe, airfares will not revert to their previous lower levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic, and high airfares will continue into 2025, Taipei-based EVA Airways (EVA Air) announced Monday. At an investor conference, EVA Air President Clay Sun indicated the trend toward higher fares is driven by robust air passenger travel, inflationary pressures, and service capacity restraints, which are expected to persist into next year.According to Focus Taiwan, Sun projected a 20.4 percent growth in the Northeast Asian passenger market for EVA Air this year, surpassing its average global growth rate. He anticipated even stronger growth in the Asia-Pacific market by 2025. In the first 10 months of 2024, the airline recorded an 8.4 percent increase in overall passenger revenue year-on-year, with passenger numbers rising by nearly 20 percent and capacity expanding by 9.7 percent.EVA Air's passenger revenue distribution revealed the United States market acc ounted for 44 percent, followed by Northeast Asia at 19 percent, and Europe at 15 percent. In response to anticipated demand growth in 2025, the airline is planning new passenger and cargo charter flights to Japan's Hakodate during the Lunar New Year holiday in January and additional flights to Aomori and Matsuyama for the cherry blossom season.The airline also plans to increase its flight offerings to Kobe during the April-October period to accommodate travelers heading to the 2025 Osaka World Expo. Additionally, EVA Air will expand its North American destinations by adding Dallas, with plans to operate five weekly flights to the Texas city starting November 3, 2025. This strategic move aligns with the trend of high-tech companies relocating from Silicon Valley to Texas, enhancing EVA Air's network for transit passengers traveling to Central and South America.EVA Air remains optimistic about its air cargo business prospects, as highlighted by Sun, who pointed to the growth of artificial intelligence appl ications and strong demand from the e-commerce sector. The airline achieved a record earnings per share of NT$3.98 in the first three quarters of 2024, marking the highest ever for the nine-month period.