By Gavin Ang
(Cover Photo by Ryan He, above photo by Malcolm Lu)
23 September 2021 – STARLUX Airlines, a new player in the Taiwanese aviation industry, launched her inaugural flight to Singapore. The aircraft of choice for Flight JX731 was B-58205 an Airbus A321Neo, delivered brand new on 23 June 2021. Taking off from Taipei’s Taoyuan International Airport at 09:20 am, the aircraft made her 4 hour long flight to Changi International Airport, and successfully landed at 1.45pm. Turning off runway 20R, the A321Neo taxied to Terminal 1 Gate C13, and in full view of spectators at Terminal 1’s Viewing Mall, the aircraft was greeted with a water canon salute to welcome her to Changi Airport, and to celebrate the successful completion of her inaugural flight.
(Photo Courtesy of STARLUX)
Launched in 2016, STARLUX Airlines has been growing steadily whilst competing with Taiwanese juggernauts China Airlines and EVA Air, adding numerous routes to Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam, etc. under the leadership of CEO Chang Kuo-wei. What sets this airline apart from other of the airlines in the region, is her business class products on the A321Neo. Seatings are supplied by Collins Aerospace in a staggered 2-2 configuration with additional customizations by BMWDesignWorks. This configuration will indeed set a new standard for medium-long range travel in a narrow-body, something aviation experts predict will become more common-place in the post-pandemic era
(Photo Courtesy of STARLUX)
The Taipei-Singapore route is the latest addition to the list of active routes. STARLUX Airlines will be operating bi-weekly flights to Singapore for two weeks (Thursdays and Saturdays), and 3 times a week (Tuesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays) from October onwards.
(Photo Courtesy of STARLUX)
The airline also managed to accrue several medium to long haul aircraft like the A350-900 and the A330-900, to boost their future plans in expanding across the Asia-Pacific region, signalling strong confidence within the company about their future ahead.
There have been speculations that STARLUX will eventually use their brand new A330neos to operate the Taipei-Singapore route. If this is indeed true, planespotters and aviation enthusiasts alike can expect yet another special treat coming their way.
------