STARLUX Airlines (JX/SJX) is a carrier based at Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, the capital of Taiwan. It was founded in April 2017 by K.W. Chang, who remains as its CEO, and began regular flights on January 23rd, 2020, just shortly before restrictions on aviation were imposed due to the pandemic.

Macau, Da Nang, and Penang were its first three destinations to/from the Taiwanese capital, operated by three Airbus A321neo aircraft. In October 2019, two months prior to launch, the airline added its first aircraft, registered as B-58201, and ended the year with its second aircraft, B-58202. Both landed from Hamburg, with Hamburg – Dubai World Central – Bangkok – Taipei being the route for B-58201, and Hamburg – Dubai World Central – Da Nang – Kaohsiung – Taipei for the B-58202.

The first Airbus A350

In July 2018, almost a year and a half before its inaugural flight, STARLUX Airlines signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Airbus at the 2018 Farnborough International Airshow for the purchase of 17 Airbus A350s. The order included 12 Airbus A350-1000s and 5 Airbus A350-900s, with the first delivery scheduled for the end of 2021.

Taiwan’s first Airbus A350 departed Toulouse on October 28th, 2022, bound for Taipei, where it landed the following day. This aircraft, owned by STARLUX Airlines, is registered as B-58501 and entered service in January 2023 on the Taipei-Tokyo Narita route.

Shortly after placing the initial order, it was expanded to 18 Airbus A350-900s, which would join the Airbus A321neo and Airbus A330neo aircraft already in service with the airline.

Airbus A350-900

At the time of publication, 10 Airbus A350-900s are part of STARLUX, starting with registration numbers B-58501 to B-58510, averaging two years old. All A350-900s feature a luxurious four-class layout, including four suites in First Class, 26 seats in Business Class, 36 seats in Premium Economy, and 240 seats in Economy, for a total capacity of 306 passengers.

These aircraft operate flights within Asia, as well as flights to the United States.

Airbus A350-1000

STARLUX’s first Airbus A350-1000 rolled out of the assembly line in July 2025, bearing a special carbon fiber livery. It had the French test registration F-WZGA and received its Taiwanese registration B-58551 on December 31st, 2025.

Prior to its delivery to Taiwan, it made six test flights, with the maiden flight taking place on November 6th, 2025, and the last at the end of the year.

At 14:10 local time on January 5th, 2026, STARLUX Airlines Airbus A350-1041, registration B-58551, departed from Blagnac Airport in Toulouse bound for Taipei on the aircraft’s delivery flight, traveling as JX2351. About 13 hours later, at 10:14 local time on January 6th, 2026, it landed at Taoyuan International Airport, where it was welcomed by STARLUX executives along with special guests and the press.

Its first flights

The aircraft’s first flight in Asia was on January 29th, flight JX2771 between Taipei and Singapore, as part of its participation in the Singapore Airshow 2026, which took place between February 3rd and the 8th. Following its participation, this A350 departed again for the Taiwanese capital, where it arrived on the morning of February 6th.

Its first revenue service occurred on February 10th, flying the Taipei-Tokyo route, marking a historic milestone for STARLUX Airlines, as well as for Taiwan: the first scheduled flight of a Taiwanese Airbus A350-1000.

At present, the Airbus A350-1041 with registration number B-58551 operates the Taipei-Tokyo Narita route daily, performing flights JX802 and JX803. STARLUX offers two other daily frequencies, JX800/801 and JX804/805, conducted by Airbus A350-900 aircraft.

The first Airbus A350-1041, as well as the others planned for incorporation, features a four-class configuration, including four suites in First Class, 40 seats in Business, 36 seats in Premium Economy, and 270 seats in Economy, totaling 350 seats.

Fleet

All of its routes are operated from/to Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, with Asia being its main market, covering almost 10 countries on the continent. It also runs long-haul routes with its Airbus A350-900s to the United States, its only market outside Asia.

STARLUX currently operates 30 regular routes, distributed among Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Macao, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam. In terms of weekly flights, Taipei-Tokyo Narita is its main service, and Japan its main country.

Routes

According to our database, STARLUX Airlines operates around 240 weekly flights from Taipei, comprising 14 to Hong Kong, 5 to Indonesia, 90 to Japan, 14 to Macao, 5 to Malaysia, 23 to the Philippines, 7 to Singapore, 19 to Thailand, 28 to the United States, and 33 to Vietnam.

In addition to its routes and passenger aircraft, the airline made an important announcement at the 2024 Singapore Airshow: its first cargo aircraft.

STARLUX announced the signing of a purchase agreement with Airbus for the acquisition of five state-of-the-art Airbus A350Fs, with an option for five additional aircraft. This agreement also includes the addition of other Airbus A330-900neos, which it began receiving at the end of 2025.

With regard to the Airbus A350F, Airbus and STARLUX expect to start deliveries from 2027, thus enabling the launch of their cargo network.

Cover photo: © HHD0221 – JetPhotos – Taipei Taoyuan International Airport – Taiwan