2026 is off to an exciting start for Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines, which has just taken delivery of its very first Airbus A350-1000.
Starlux taking delivery of 18 Airbus A350-1000s
Starlux launched operations in 2020, as Taiwan’s third full-service, high quality airline, after China Airlines and EVA Air. The airline is an all-Airbus operator, and launched operations with the A321neo, then took delivery of A330-900neos, and then took delivery of A350-900s.
Now the airline has taken delivery of its first A350-1000, which represents the carrier’s largest plane to date. More specifically, Starlux has already taken delivery of all 10 A350-900s it had on order, and now it’s starting to take delivery of the 18 A350-1000s it has on order.
The first new A350 just touched down in Taipei (TPE), and has the registration code B-58551. I’ve gotta say, that’s one gorgeous plane!
All of Starlux’s long haul routes are operated by A350s, so as the airline expands its A350 fleet from 10 frames to 28 frames, you can also expect huge growth from the airline, including to more destinations in North America, plus destinations in Australia and Europe for the first time.
The airline expects to take delivery of all of these planes by 2031, so the delivery timeline isn’t that fast — expect an average of a few new planes per year.
The A350-1000 is the stretched version of the A350-900, with incredible range and unit costs. So it’s an extremely efficient plane, and I’m sure Starlux will have no issues filling seats on long haul flights, given the traffic patterns through Taiwan.
Starlux A350-1000s are in a four-cabin, 350-seat layout
What should passengers expect onboard Starlux’s Airbus A350-1000s? While the airline hasn’t formally revealed the cabins yet, it’s my understand that the interiors will mirror those on the A350-900, except will be a bit bigger. Specifically:
- Starlux A350-900s feature 306 seats, including four first class seats, 26 business class seats, 36 premium economy seats, and 240 economy seats
- Starlux A350-1000s feature 350 seats, including four first class seats, 40 business class seats, 36 premium economy seats, and 270 economy seats
As you can see, the A350-1000s feature an extra 14 business class seats and 30 economy seats, compared to the smaller variant. I haven’t actually seen the new seat map, but it’s pretty clear what’s planned here.
Between the first and second set of doors there are presumably 44 seats, including the four first class seats and 40 business class seats. This means Starlux is keeping the same strange first class product as before, with sky high pricing, yet a hard product that’s more of a “business class plus” than anything, given that there’s not even a curtain between first and business class.
Starlux business class is excellent, though, as the airline offers the Collins Aerospace Element product, which I rank among the best business class seats.
The premium economy cabin remains unchanged, right behind the second set of doors.
Meanwhile economy just has a few extra rows, given that the A350-1000 is a stretched version of the A350-900.
So this should be a pleasant ride all-around, though I continue to be confused by Starlux’s approach to first class (and also really frustrated, since I want to try it on a long haul flight, but can’t bring myself to drop what they’re charging for something that’s not even a fully separate cabin).
Bottom line
Starlux Airlines has just taken delivery of its first Airbus A350-1000, and the airline should add 18 of these to its fleet by 2031. This is the carrier’s biggest plane to date, and complements the 10 existing A350-900s. Expect the A350-1000 product to be very similar to what you’ll find on the A350-900, with the only differences being an extra 14 business class seats and an extra 30 economy class seats.
What do you make of Starlux adding the A350-1000 to its fleet?
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