STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai (left) and Airbus EVP commercial aircraft sales Benoît de Saint-Exupéry.
LE BOURGET: Taiwan-based STARLUX Airlines, which began operations in January 2020, added another 10 Airbus A350-1000s to its all-Airbus fleet and revealed a new livery at a signing ceremony at the Paris Air Show.
STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai and Airbus EVP commercial aircraft sales Benoît de Saint-Exupéry signed the deal Wednesday, June 18. It brings the number of -1000s in STARLUX’s orderbook to 18, while the airline also has 10 A350-900s in service as well as five Airbus A330s in service and another six on order; 13 Airbus A321neos in service and another six on order; and 10 A350F freighters on order.
The first A350-1000 from the initial order batch will be delivered this year, while aircraft from the new order, which is firm, will start deliveries from 2031, Chai said.
Though young, STARLUX already serves 29 destinations from Taiwan to the US, Japan, Macau, Vietnam, Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore. In Q1 2026, it plans to launch its fifth US destination—Phoenix, Arizona. Chai said the airline, which has codeshares with Alaska Airlines and Etihad Airways, is also planning to start serving its first European destination next year, but he did not reveal the city or country.
Asked when STARLUX might start flying to China, Chai said that was a difficult question that could only be answered by “both governments” of China and Taiwan, but he acknowledged that it could open up a market with lots of routes. Airbus’ de Saint-Exupéry then joked that this was a potential opportunity for the A220, the only Airbus airliner that STARLUX has not ordered so far.
Chai said that 40% of STARLUX’s capacity was deployed to Japan, where the airline has just launched its 12th destination.
Paris has been a good airshow for both passenger and freighter variants of the A350. Earlier on Wednesday, Airbus announced that Egyptair had done a deal for six Airbus A350-900s, which will take its total order for the type to 16, and that Türkiye-based MNG Airlines had ordered two A350F freighters.
“This move strengthens our position across key trade lanes, including Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and a growing footprint in North America. It will support both our scheduled and charter operations and give us added flexibility to meet evolving cargo demands, from e-commerce to high-value freight and express logistics,” Mapa Group CEO and MNG Airlines chairman Murathan Doruk Günal said.
Earlier in the week, Riyadh Air ordered up to 50 A350-1000s and Saudi Arabia-based lessor AviLease ordered up to 22 A350Fs.
The Rolls-Royce XWB-powered A350 family orderbook now stands at more than 1,390 from 60 customers worldwide, with more than 650 aircraft in the fleets of 38 operators.
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