Starlux planning flights to Singapore, Manila
The luxury boutique airline wants to add Singapore and Manila to its Airbus A321neo network.
By David Flynn, May 31 2021
Taiwan's Starlux Airlines plans to spread its wings to Singapore and Manila in the second half of this year, although no firm start date has been set for either of the routes.
The airline has entered details for both routes into booking systems, with flights tentatively operating three days a week from July, however they've not yet appeared on Starlux's website or been made available for bookings.
While Singapore is an all-new destination for the Taiwanese startup, Starlux already flies to Cebu in the Philippines.
Taipei-Singapore and Taipei-Manila would be served by Starlux's regional workhorse Airbus A321neo, with eight fully lie-flat seats in business class...
... where the self-proclaimed luxury boutique airline promises passengers will enjoy "an exclusive menu created by Michelin chefs with a rich selection of wines."
Behind the curtain are 180 economy class seats, whose occupants will probably not be supping on a Michelin menu.
Positioned as a "detail-oriented luxury airline", StarLux was founded in mid-2018 by long-term Taiwanese aviation executive and former EVA Air chairman Chang Kuo-wei, scion of one of the island-nation's richest families with an estimated net worth of US$1.45 billion.
As previously reported, Starlux hopes to begin flights to the USA in 2023 with a fleet of Airbus A350 jets sporting both first class and business class, alongside premium economy and economy seating.
StarLux's North American ambitious will be spearheaded by the Airbus A350.
Starlux will also pick up the keys to the first of eight Airbus A330-900neo jets by the end of this year to broaden its reach throughout the Asia-Pacific, which may include flights to Australia.
A spokesperson for Starlux previously confirmed to Executive Traveller that its A330neo destinations "are still under evaluation", and a decision on whether not the airline will fly to Australia had not yet been made.
Australia's east coast capitals are already served by Taiwan's China Airlines and EVA Air, and Qantas has flagged the possibility of launching direct flights to Taipei should an Australia-Taiwan travel bubble open up.
David Flynn is the Editor-in-Chief of Executive Traveller and a bit of a travel tragic with a weakness for good coffee, shopping and lychee martinis.