Taiwan’s Luxury Airline Reveals a Glamorous Launch for Its First Airbus A350

Starlux kicked off operations at the beginning of 2020, with the tickets for its first three flights allegedly sold online in just 11 minutes. That was mostly due to the notoriety of the carrier’s founder, Chang Kuo-wei, who had previously been the chairman of another Taiwanese carrier, Eva Airways. Eva Airways had been founded by Chang Kuo-wei’s father and, after his passing, a family battle ensued. Chang Kuo-wei was allegedly ousted, and it was said that he founded a competing airline out of revenge.

What’s certain is that Starlux was ready to make a difference. A pilot himself, Chang equipped his airline with some of the newest and most impressive aircraft – the A321neon and the A350. Starlux’ order for 17 A350 aircraft in 2019 became the largest Airbus purchase agreement in Taiwan.

The A350 aircraft, introduced by Airbus as “the world’s newest widebody,” are the latest ones to be delivered to the Taiwanese carrier. The first one was officially delivered in the Fall of 2022. The four-class layout includes four First Class suites, 26 Business Class suites, 36 seats in Premium Economy, and 240 in Economy.

The carrier’s first widebody airliners, the A350-900 will literally open the way for longer routes. As a new-generation model, it also claims increased fuel efficiency (it burns up to 25% less fuel compared to the previous aircraft in the same size category).

As you would expect, the cabin is equally impressive in terms of comfort and style. It makes the bold claim of being the quietest of all aircraft currently in operation, it’s configured to ensure more room in every class, and it includes full connectivity and state-of-the-art entertainment systems.

Every design detail was added for a relaxing effect, from the elegant color palette in warm, neutral tones, to the mood lighting, and a digital illustration of a bouquet of flowers that keep on growing, which welcomes passengers as they’re boarding.

Ready to take to the sky, the first Starlux A350 was launched through a glamorous photoshoot featuring plenty of models, inspired by a fashion show. After having to deal with significant loses and strikes, the luxury carrier hopes to get back on track, with the help of its all-Airbus fleet.

Back in 2019, Starlux representatives were stating that the carrier’s fleet is set to grow to 50 aircraft by the end of this decade. Until that happens, 16 more A350s are expected to be delivered over the next period.