The new Taiwanese carrier, Starlux Airlines, ordered 17 Airbus A350 XWB aircraft for long-haul services. The order, which consists of 12 A350-1000S and 5 A350-900S, would be worth 6 billion USD at list prices. The deliveries of the aircraft are scheduled to begin in 2021.
The founder and Chairman of the Taiwanese start-up Starlux Airlines, Chang Kuo-wei, said that the aircraft’s range, low operating costs, and passenger comfort levels were key factors in their decision to pick this jet.
“We are positive that with the A350 XWB, we will be able to spread our wings to further destinations, bringing our best-in-class services to more people over the world in the near future”, said Chang Kuo-wei.
Starlux Airlines intends to use the planes on its premier long-haul operations from Taipei to Europe and North America, as well as selected destinations within the Asia-Pacific region.
So far, the airline has leased 10 Airbus A321neos for their regional routes. The first of these will be delivered in October this year, with a further two to be handed over in January 2020 ready for launch.
Airbus A350 XWB is a family of long-range, twin-engine wide-body jet airliners developed by European aerospace manufacturer Airbus. The A350 is the first Airbus aircraft with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon fiber reinforced polymer. Its variants seat 280 to 366 passengers in typical three-class seating layouts.
