Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines committed to a NT$132.16 billion ($4.48 billion) aircraft procurement at the Paris Air Show, ordering 10 additional Airbus A350-1000 jets and Rolls-Royce engines worth another NT$4.5 billion ($153 million).
The order doubles STARLUX’s A350-1000 fleet commitment to 18 aircraft, with deliveries starting in 2031. The five-year-old carrier is banking on ultra-long-range capabilities to differentiate itself in increasingly crowded Asia-Pacific markets.
STARLUX plans to launch its first European destination in 2026 and will deploy the larger jets on a new Phoenix route. The timing raises questions about market sustainability as legacy carriers aggressively expand post-pandemic capacity.
While STARLUX touts premium positioning, load factors on its Seattle route hover around 80-88%, suggesting gaps in premium cabin utilization. The carrier’s all-Airbus strategy locks it into a single supplier relationship at a time when aircraft delivery delays plague the industry.
The airline currently operates 28 aircraft across narrow and wide-body variants, making this order a substantial 36% fleet expansion commitment. With first A350-1000 deliveries expected by year-end, STARLUX faces the challenge of filling additional capacity while competitors like Delta and China Airlines maintain strong transpacific presence.
The ambitious expansion plan tests whether Taiwan’s boutique carrier model can scale profitably against established global networks.
