Leading Taiwan-based airline EVA Airways said on July 14 that it would cut international flights by up to 10 per cent due to the pressure of soaring fuel costs.

The reduction of five to 10 per cent in the three months to November would eliminate 60 to 80 flights, a spokeswoman for the airline said.

"Long-haul flights, in particular, to Amsterdam, Los Angeles and San Francisco will be most affected. We expect the flight cuts will alleviate pressure from high fuel costs," she added.

The firm would evaluate whether to continue the cuts after the three-month period. Its move comes after rival China Airlines chopped monthly flights by 10 per cent from last month.

A number of Asian airlines have cut flights and raised fuel surcharges to try and cope with surging oil prices, which hit fresh record highs above US$147 per barrel on July 11.

Malaysia Airlines had axed 15 loss-making routes, mostly to China and India, as it pared back operations to survive high fuel prices, a report said earlier July.

The aviation industry association IATA has also said that twenty-five airlines went bust or stopped operations in the first six months of 2008, warning more could fold due to high fuel prices.

EVA Airways posted a loss of US$75.27 million in the three months to March, after slumping US$1.87 billion into the red in 2007.