STARLUX Airlines has received its first A350-900 from Airbus. The new A350 is the first of eighteen A350-900s STARLUX has on order.
The A350-900 aircraft arrived at Taiwan’s Taoyuan International Airports on 28 October after completing the 14-hour flight from Airbus’s Toulouse plant. Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-wei actually flew the new A350-900 to Taiwan.
STARLUX plans to put the new A350 into operation in January 2023, initially flying to major cities in Asia-Pacific before starting flights to Los Angeles in April 2023.
A second A350-900 is arriving later this year. Four more A350s are due in 2024 with the other 10 A350s expected by end 2027.
STARLUX received its first A330neo in February and starting commercial flights in June.
Adding the A350-900 means the STARLUX fleet can now cover short, mid, and long range flights. The big plus is that the airline can extend its network to markets outside Asia, starting with the USA.
Cabin Layout
STARLUX’s A350-900 has four classes class with a total of 306 seats, including:
- 4 First Class
- 26 Business
- 36 Premium Economy
- 240 Economy Class
The airline has given few details of the seats so far. They should be pretty good given that it is positioning itself as an upmarket – even luxury – carrier.
STARLUX does say that its new A350-900 has a cabin that 4 inches wider and 35 inches longer than other A350s in service. That will give it a bit more room for all passengers and larger galleys.
First Class
First Class suites are built with a 60-inch door wall, allowing passengers to have a personal suite on the aircraft. Passengers get a personal wardrobe to store baggage.
Business
Business Class seats feature a 48-inch door and a lamp to provide warmth.
Seats in both First and Business Class can convert into a fully lie-flat bed, and also come with a “zero gravity” feature to offer extra comfort and relaxation.
Premium Economy
Premium Economy Class seats have a leg rest and footrest bar.
Economy
Economy Class seats have an S-shape and ultra-thin seatbacks to increase leg room.
Inflight entertainment
In First Class, each seat is equipped with a 32-inch 4K screen, while Business Class can enjoy a 24-inch screen with 4K resolution.
Premium Economy Class and Economy Class passengers can also enjoy 4K resolution with a 15.6-inch screen or a 13-inch screen respectively.
All passengers on the A350-900 can use Bluetooth to connect to their own headphones.
Cabin features
The aircraft also features the Airbus Airspace Cabin, dimmable windows, dynamic luminous panels and ambient lighting.
Airbus A350
Passenger comfort
Passengers will enjoy a quieter, wider cabin, as well as larger panoramic windows and more space in the baggage compartments.
Economical
The A350 features the latest aerodynamic design, a carbon fibre fuselage and wings, plus new fuel-efficient Rolls-Royce Trent engines.
These elements translate into 25% less fuel burn and CO2 emissions and 50% reduction in noise.
About STARLUX
STARLUX is a Taiwanese private airline. Based in Taipei, it started operations in 2020.
Routes: STARLUX currently flies between Taiwan and several cities in Asia, including:
Hong Kong, Macau, Japan (5 Cities), Bangkok, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia.
It plans to add Los Angeles in 2023.
Fleet: STARLUX has an all-Airbus fleet of 16 aircraft:
- 11 Airbus A321neo
- 4 Airbus A330neo
- 1 Airbus A350-900
The airline expects to receive two more A321neos and 1 more A350-900 this year.
Alliance: None
N.B. Image credit: STARLUX Airlines
