LONDON – Taiwan Airlines Sarlux has announced that it will today take delivery of its first Airbus A330neo registration B-58301 in Toulouse, France. The aircraft is due to arrive at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airpot on February 19 at 16:15 local time. Starlux was the first carrier in Taiwan to purchase the A321neo and it now continues this proud trend with it being the first in the country to take delivery of the A330neo.
Company chairman K.W. Chang said: “My team and I had spent much time evaluating and discussing the selection of the optimal mid-range aircraft to augment our current line A321neos and A350 XWBs, expanding the range of our fleet to full strength, covering short, mid, and long-range flights.”
“The efficiency of the A330neo is outstanding by bringing together enhanced technologies and highly efficient Rolls-Royce Trent 7000 engines. In addition, pilots can easily acquire type ratings for various aircraft that make up the Airbus family. I am delighted to welcome our first A330neo, as it marks a key milestone in our growth. With the addition of the A330neo, STARLUX can deploy our fleet more flexibly and provide our service to more passengers over regional routes.”
The carrier intends to lease eight A330neo aircraft, the first of which will be put into service after the approval process and required crew training is completed in May, it is then believed that three more will be added to the fleet later this year. Starlux plans to utilize the aircraft on flying additional routes to major cities within the Asia-Pacific region, including services to Macau, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Bangkok, and Tokyo.
Christian Scherer, Airbus Chief Commercial Officer said: “We are excited to work closely with STARLUX to build their new fleet, together with the A321neo, A330neo and A350 will enable the carrier to benefit from the unique technical commonality and efficiency offered by our latest generation aircraft. In addition, they offer the best levels of comfort in their respective size categories, which will be a key element for STARLUX in delivering its premium in-flight experience.”
