Taiwanese carrier STARLUX has taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-900. This is the first of 18 A350s scheduled to be delivered to STARLUX by Airbus. The arrival of this aircraft marks a special milestone in STARLUX’s journey as this aircraft will enable the airline to open new routes across the Pacific Ocean.
1st A350 delivered to STARLUX
On 28th October 2022, STARLUX took delivery of its first A350-900 aircraft at Airbus Headquarters in Toulouse, France. The delivery ceremony was led by STARLUX Airlines Chairman K.W. Chang and CEO Glenn Chai, who were both excited to mark the new milestone. Chang arrived in Toulouse to participate in the delivery process, and to personally fly this new A350-900 back to Taiwan.
This delivery is a milestone for STARLUX Airlines. The A350-900 is our first large widebody aircraft, which will allow STARLUX to open markets for longer routes, and this also marks the next step in our partnership with Airbus, with 17 more A350s deliveries in the future. With the addition of the A350-900, the STARLUX fleet now can cover short, mid, and long range flights, providing service to passengers outside Asia.
said Chang.
With an all-new generation, all-Airbus fleet, STARLUX is bringing new levels of comfort and efficiency to the premium market. As the flagship aircraft in this fleet, the A350-900 will carry the airline’s brand on its longest routes as it opens up to new markets. We wish the airline every success as it spreads its wings to more destinations across the world.
said Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer of Airbus and Head of Airbus International.
We would like to congratulate STARLUX on taking delivery of their first A350 passenger aircraft, which is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-84 engines. This delivery builds on our partnership with STARLUX who earlier this year took delivery of their first A330neo, which is also powered by our Trent 7000 engines. We look forward to further supporting STARLUX to maximize their fleet performance and achieve operational excellence. We thank STARLUX for their trust in Rolls-Royce, and we will continue our commitment to providing reliable power and world-class service to help STARLUX fly higher and further.
said Ewen McDonald, Chief Customer Officer, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace.
The A350-900 aircraft, registered B-58501, is the first of 18 A350s STARLUX has ordered and is planned to be put into service in January next year after the approval process and required crew training. There will be another A350-900 added to the fleet this year. The A350-900 will initially fly to major cities within the Asia-Pacific region and start operations to Los Angeles in April 2023.
STARLUX’s A350s
The A350 is made from approximately 70% advanced materials such as carbon fiber and has the lowest CO2 emissions in its class, and also the first aircraft in the Asia-Pacific region to integrate the latest evolutions made by Airbus to the A350, which comprise improvements to the performance and also to its Airspace cabin. Compared with other A350s in service today, the new A350-900 for STARLUX has a cabin which is wider by 4 inches and longer by 35 inches, which gives more room for passengers in all classes, and also larger galleys for the cabin crew.
The aircraft also features the very latest electrical dimmable windows, blocking 99.99% of visible light, switching twice the speed of the previous generation. STARLUX’s aircraft is the very first A350 to put these new windows into service. Moreover, STARLUX is also the first airline to install dynamic secant luminous panels on an A350. Three motion panels are located at two doorways and the very end of Business Class, demonstrating different shapes of ceramics with leaves gradually growing out to make passengers feel at home. As the A350-900 will operate long-range routes, STARLUX’s cabins can be customized with ambient lighting depending on the stage of the flight. There are also three seasonal themes to choose from: Lunar New Year, White Christmas, and Moon Festival.
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The seats
STARLUX is the first airline in the world to offer First Class seats (technically, Malaysia Airlines was the first airline to offer First Class on A350s. However, the airline has renamed those First Class Suites to ‘Business Suites’ and has eliminated the word ‘First’ from those seats).
STARLUX’s A350 features 4 First Class seats, 26 Business Class seats, 36 Premium Economy seats and 240 standard Economy Class seats.
STARLUX is the first airline in Taiwan to offer First Class. The First Class suites have a 60-inch door wall, allowing the passengers to have a personal suite on the aircraft. A personal wardrobe is provided to store luggage. Each suite is equipped with a 32-inch 4K screen.
Business Class seats feature a 48-inch door and a cozy 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. Business Class seats feature a 24-inch 4K screen for personal entertainment.
Premium Economy Class seats feature a leg-rest and footrest bar. These seats have a 15.6-inch 4K screen.
To prevent the leg numbness in Economy Class, the thickness of each seat has been reduced, and redesigned with a unique S-shape to provide more legroom. Economy Class seats feature a 13-inch 4K screen.
All passengers on the A350-900 can use Bluetooth to connect to their own headphones.
Growing fleet
With the addition of another A321neo, registered B58211, scheduled to be delivered tomorrow, STARLUX will have 11 A321neos, 4 A330neos, and 1 A350-900. By the end of the year, there will be another 2 A321neos and an additional A350-900 in the airline’s fleet, which will increase the capacity for STARLUX as the company prepares to begin service to markets outside Asia.
To commemorate STARLUX’s first A350-900 delivery, as well as the union of three Airbus flight models into its fleet, STARLUX cooperated with Airbus and the professional production team Master Films to take Airbus test flights as an opportunity to shoot an air-to-air video of all three models in flight. The arrangement process was intricate, taking almost a year to finalize the shooting details. STARLUX, Airbus and Master Films discussed extensively regarding the concepts of the video, including the formations of the airplanes, the shot angles, and the flight path. To perfectly execute the unprecedented mission, Airbus assigned its most experienced pilots to fly the airplanes.
Thoughts
STARLUX’s new A350 looks awesome. It has everything passengers could ask for. From the design to the finishes of the seats, everything looks luxurious.
As a premium luxury airline, STARLUX will directly compete with Eva Air and China Airlines. However, according to STARLUX, it will first focus on launching routes between Taiwan and the United States, with flights to Los Angeles launching in April 2023. While both – STARLUX and Eva Air – are premium airlines, the networks are very different with Eva Air focusing on Europe and the United Kingdom for long-haul routes. China Airlines does not operate any route to the United States so STARLUX has a clear path in that way.
As for the A350s, it’s still a mystery as STARLUX as not yet unveiled the interior of its A350s. While the configuration has been unveiled, it will be interesting to see whether STARLUX introduces new innovative seats customised with its own finishes or it goes ahead with what is available in the market.
Featured image by STARLUX
All the other images by STARLUX
What do you think of STARLUX’s A350 and its plans for the aircraft? Let me know in the comments section below.
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