Airbus A350-1000 To Replace The A350-900 From July

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Commencing on July 2, the A350-1000 will replace the smaller A350-900 for flights to and from Phoenix. Starlux currently operates a total of two A350-1000, with another 16 on order. The upgrade in aircraft represents an additional 44 seats in each direction, with the A350-900 catering for a total of 306 passengers, versus the 350 on the larger plane.

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Onboard the A350-1000, there are four first-class seats which offer full recline and feature Zero Gravity mode. These are in addition to 40 business class, 36 premium economy, and 270 economy class seats. The flights will follow the schedule below:

Who is Starlux Airlines?

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Starlux is a full-service Taiwanese carrier that was established back in 2018. This is the brainchild of Chang Kuo-wei, who is also a trained pilot and served as the captain on the airline’s maiden flight in 2020. Today, Kuo-wei sits as the airline’s board Chair. It is one of three major carriers in Taiwan, alongside the already mentioned China Airlines and EVA Air. Starlux does not currently belong to any major airline alliance.

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The carrier has its base at Taoyuan International Airport, with its focus city at Taichung International Airport (RMQ). Its fleet has gradually grown to more than 30 aircraft, and now serves a total of 36 destinations. The airline continues to grow its network, with the following destinations already confirmed to start this year:

According to ch-aviation, the airline has both narrowbody and widebody aircraft, including 13 Airbus A321neo, eight A330-900, ten A350-900, and two A350-1000. Additional orders are in place for another 14 A321neo, three A330-900, and 16 A350-1000. For its cargo operations, another ten A350F will be expected to commence deliveries from 2028.

Barcelona, Zurich, Sydney, and Auckland Starting Next Year

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In addition to upscaling its services to Phoenix, just yesterday, Starlux announced it would add another four new long-haul destinations to its network in 2027. The airline’s Chair, Kuo-wei, shared at the airline’s annual shareholder meeting that new flights from Taipei to Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN) and Zurich Airport (ZRH) will be added as its latest gateways in Europe.

The airline’s first foray into Oceania will also kick off in 2027, with a new non-stop link to Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD), with a tag-on to Auckland Airport (AKL). Starlux will compete head-to-head with China Airlines on the routes to both Sydney and Auckland, but face no direct competition on its European routes.

Starlux Airlines first started flying to the United States in 2023, when in April it commenced services to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). This has since seen a gradual expansion to U.S. services with the addition of San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Ontario International Airport (ONT), complementing its Phoenix service. All of these routes are served year-round.