Starlux Airlines Receives Its First Airbus A350

Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines has received its first Airbus A350, which was ferried from France to Taiwan on the weekend. It is the first of eighteen A350s the airline has on order.

The first long-haul flight for B-58501

According to Flightradar24.com data, the Airbus A350-900, registration B-58501, left the French airport of Toulouse Blagnac (TLS) at 18:39 on Friday, October 28th. After a 13:25-hour flight, it touched down at Taipei Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) at 14:03 on Saturday.

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The A350-900 is joining an all-Airbus fleet at STARLUX Airlines (STARLUX), which includes eleven A321-200neos and four A330-900neos. The airline is building an impressive fleet of new aircraft, as apart from the other 17 A350s, it has three A330neos and three A321neos on order.

The A350, now sitting in Taipei, is configured in a four-class layout, comprising four first class suites, 26 business class seats, 36 in premium economy and 240 in economy. It features the Airbus Airspace cabin, which gives extra room in all classes and is the quietest aircraft in service today. STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai said the delivery is a milestone, giving the airline its first large widebody aircraft to open long-haul markets.

“With the addition of the A350-900, the STARLUX fleet can now cover short, mid and long-range flights, providing service to passengers outside of Asia.”

Here’s what it can do

Infographic: Airbus

The STARLUX A350s will have two Rolls-Royce XWB-84 engines, an engine that first entered service in 2015. In August, the Trent XWB-84 ticked over 10 million engine flying hours and is used by more than 30 airlines operating on various routes, from short-range sectors to ultra-long-haul flights of more than 18 hours. Rolls-Royce claims the XWB is the world’s most efficient engine, with a 15% fuel consumption advantage over the first Trent engine it produced.

In addition to going further on less fuel, the XWB can also operate on 50% sustainable aviation fuels, which is surely something these brand-new jets will use sometime in their working life. Rolls-Royce adds that the XWB has contributed to avoiding more than 15 million tonnes of CO2 since it launched in 2015, which the UK engine maker says is the same amount of CO2 it takes to provide electricity to nearly two million homes each year.

STARLUX now has a complete set of Airbus aircraft

Operating different size aircraft as a complementary family is a well-established tenet of the Airbus marketing strategy. This is especially so in Asia, where the mix of aircraft has enabled airlines to open routes, build them up and mix and match aircraft to rightsize frequencies. It may be that a new service is unproven, so a smaller aircraft, such as the A321, might be used with more frequency in the initial stages. As demand grows, the A330 can be used on peak services, leaving quieter times for the A321, and then when the route really takes off the A350 takes over the lead role.

Along that journey, the Airbus airspace cabin gives passengers a consistent level of comfort and experience irrespective of the aircraft size. Airbus also has built-in fleet commonality that drives operational and maintenance costs down, gives common pilot type ratings and gives airlines the flexibility to match capacity with demand. It is a tried and tested strategy in Asia, where the A330 has been pivotal for many airlines in building up demand and frequencies on new routes.

If you’re among the first to fly on the STARLUX A350, please tell us about it.