Starlux Airlines (JX, Taipei Taoyuan) signed a purchase agreement to acquire three A330-900Ns and five A350Fs, its first freighters, at the Singapore Air Show on February 21.
Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-wei, Airbus CEO Christian Scherer, EVP Sales Commercial Aircraft Benoit de Saint-Exupery, Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace CEO Ewan McDonald, and Starlux CEO Glenn Chai were all in Singapore for the signing.
"We will continue to operate an all-Airbus fleet," said Chang. "The three new A330neo will strengthen operations and provide greater flexibility for passengers."
The A330s will arrive between 2025 and 2026. The A350 freighters will be delivered "a little later," Saint-Exupery told ch-aviation. The purchase agreement includes options for a further five of the A350Fs.
Starlux Airlines already operates 21 aircraft, including thirteen A321-200NX, four A330-900Ns, and four A350-900s. It also has three A330-900Ns, eight A350-1000s, and six A350-900s on order. With one A330-900N due to return to Air Lease Corporation, Starlux will fly eleven of the A330neo jets when all due aircraft are delivered.
Kou-wei said Starlux would become the first Taiwanese operator of the A350F, which he said offered superior fuel burn, operating efficiencies, and lower CO2 emissions. "Taiwan is an important cargo hub," he added. "We could not miss out on the opportunity to join the market, so we made the decision to take the freighters."
