Taiwan’s STARLUX Airlines orders an additional five A350F freighters

Airbus has announced that STARLUX Airlines of Taiwan has placed a firm order with the European-based planemaker for an additional five A350F freighters. This supplementary order doubles an initial order placed by the Taipei-based carrier in February 2024 for an initial five A350Fs. All of the ten freighters on order will be operated by the company’s dedicated freight division, STARLUX Cargo, on “some of the world’s busiest freight routes,” according to the carrier.

The yet-to-be-certified A350F, based on the A350-900 passenger variant of the widebody family of jets, will carry a payload of up to 111 tonnes and offer a range of 4,700 nautical miles (8,700 km). With its pair of Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, Airbus claims that the A350F will reduce fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 40% when compared to previous generation aircraft with a similar payload-range capability, Additionally, the A350F will also be the only freighter aircraft that will fully meet ICAO’s enhanced CO₂ emissions standards, coming into effect in 2027, Airbus adds.

“The cargo market is set to become a key element in our business model and will benefit from the advantages offered by Taiwan’s geographical location,” said STARLUX Airlines’ CEO Glenn Chai. “The A350F is the perfect choice for STARLUX, offering a similar payload-range capability as previous generation freighters, but with very significant reductions in fuel consumption and carbon emissions.”

“We thank STARLUX Airlines for its ongoing confidence in Airbus and its products,” said Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales Commercial Aircraft at Airbus. “The A350F will fit seamlessly into the carrier’s latest generation all-Airbus fleet which offers unrivaled levels of technical and operational commonality. This second order from this fast-growing airline is another endorsement of the all-new A350F as the future game-changer in heavy lift markets.”

AirbusAccording to Airbus, the A350F will feature the largest main deck cargo door of any freighter currently available in the industry, with fuselage length and capacity “optimized around the industry’s standard pallets and containers,” according to the manufacturer. Over 70% of the airframe will be constructed from advanced composite materials, resulting in a 46-tonne lighter take-off weight when compared to its nearest rivals, the Boeing 777-200F and 777-300F.

Since its first commercial flight almost five years ago in January 2020, STARLUX Airline has steadily grown its operation and its aircraft fleet. Currently, the carrier operates a fleet of all Airbus aircraft on 31 routes to 29 destinations across 11 countries. According to ch-aviation, the current STARLUX fleet comprises 13 A321neos, five A330-900neos, and eight A350-900s. In addition to this latest order for the five A350Fs, the airline has 24 more Airbus aircraft on order which includes eight A350-1000s.

Omid Behzadpour / ShutterstockAirbus data shows that by the end of November 2024, the A350F freighter family had achieved 1,345 orders from 61 customers worldwide. Customers include Air France, Air Lease Corporation, Cathay Pacific, CMA CGM, Etihad, Singapore Airlines, and Turkish Airlines.    

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