Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines will start flying to Hong Kong this summer.
From 16 July, the carrier will initially operate two daily roundtrips between its Taipei hub and Hong Kong.
STARLUX will deploy its most premium aircraft, the Airbus A350-900, on one of the daily flights, and the A330neo on the other.
The airline’s A350-900s come in a four-class configuration, with four in first class, 26 in 1-2-1 business class, 36 in premium economy class and 240 in economy class.
STARLUX also flies its A350s to Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as on select Tokyo frequencies.
Meanwhile, the airline’s A330-900neos feature two cabins, with 28 in 1-2-1 business class and 269 in economy class.
STARLUX currently has five A350-900s in its fleet, plus five more on order alongside eight larger A350-1000s.
The carrier has placed commitments for eight A330neos, with four currently in service on regional routes.
STARLUX will compete on Taipei-Hong Kong with Taiwanese flag carrier China Airlines (CAL), EVA Air and Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific, as well as several low-cost carriers.
The Taipei-Hong Kong route remains one of the busiest routes worldwide.
Coinciding with STARLUX’s Hong Kong launch announcement, Cathay Pacific has launched an awards rebate promotion for travel between Taipei or Kaohsiung and Hong Kong from 1 June to 7 July 2024 whereby Asia Miles members can save up to 30 per cent on the miles required if they book by 9 June.