STARLUX Airlines is an international airline company headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, and operated its first flight from Taipei to Macau on 23 January 2020.
History
The company was registered in 2016 with the Ministry of Economic Affairs. This was confirmed by Chang Kuo-wei on 30 November 2016. Chang was formerly the chair of the Taiwanese airline EVA Air. The airline registered with the Civil Aeronautics Administration in the first half of 2017, and it was planned, in late 2016, that it should commence operations in 2018. The Ministry of Economics Affairs received the formal application for establishing the airline under the name Starlux Airlines on 22 May 2017. In an interview in 2017, the airline was expected to start operations "by the end of 2019". Chang stated in January 2019 that Starlux Airlines would launch in January 2020. In March, the airline's chairman Chang Kuo-wei signed a total of 17 Airbus A350 XWB orders. This is also the country's largest single Airbus purchase agreement. In September 2019, the airline announced its launching destinations which include Da Nang, Macau, and Penang and will be launched on 23 January 2020. On 25 October 2019, the first A321neo was delivered in Hamburg, Germany. The plane arrived at Taoyuan International Airport on 29 October via Dubai and Bangkok. On 10 December 2019, Starlux received its Air Operator's Certificate from the Civil Aeronautics Administration and opened reservations for its launching destinations on 16 December 2019. Within a couple of months after its inauguration, Starlux Airlines announced to suspend most services except Da Nang. Furthermore, the airline has halted all of its operations prior to 2 June 2020. On 2 June, the airlines resumed its three-weekly services to Macau. Amid COVID-19 Pandemic, the airline has also delayed its Cebu services launch twice and indefinitely delayed Okinawa launch.
Destinations
The following destinations have been announced :
Hub
Focus City
Future destinations
Terminated destinations
Fleet
, Starlux Airlines operates the following aircraft:
Fleet development
In March 2019, the airline announced it would start operations with 17 Airbus aircraft: 5 Airbus A350-900s and 12 Airbus A350-1000s which will be flying on their new routes to Europe and North America as well as to selected Asian destinations. Starlux has also planned to add 10 Airbus A321neos to its fleet to serve their Asian routes. Starlux Airlines will become the first Taiwanese airline to fly both the Airbus A321neo and Airbus A350-1000. The airline is also considering to buy or lease Airbus A330neos.
Cabin
Business Class
The business class cabin has eight seats in a two-row, 2-2 configuration in the Airbus A321neo. The seats are wide and can be converted into a fully flat bed, featuring a 15.6-inch HD in-flight entertainment touchscreen. Free unlimited Wi-Fi will be available to all business class passengers on board.
Economy Class
The Economy Class cabin has 180 slimline seats in a 3-3 configuration in the Airbus A321neo, each with a 10.1-inches SD screen, USB port and fitted with a leather headrest. The seat is wide while free "basic Wi-Fi" for texting will be available to all economy class passengers on board. Starlux commissioned smooth jazz guitaristPeter White for their onboard entertainment system. The music was commercially released on November 29 2019 as Music for Starlux Airlines.
