Starlux Airlines Co (星宇航空) is to launch services from Taoyuan to Singapore later this month and is planning to offer more weekly flights to Southeast Asia, as it expects a rebound in travel demand, the carrier said on Friday.
Starlux is optimistic that international travel will recover in the second half of the year, as Taiwan has begun relaxing COVID-19 border controls, general manager Glenn Chai (翟健華) said.
The airline wants to provide more flights to satisfy rising demand, he added.
Photo courtesy of StarLux Airlines Co
The carrier is to offer three flights per week from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport to Singapore Changi Airport, as the city-state has long been a popular destination for Taiwanese business travelers and tourists, the airline said, adding that a fourth weekly service would be added next month.
The airline is also planning to next month increase the number of weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur and Penang, Malaysia, as well as Bangkok, Manila and Ho Chi Minh City, while later this year it would launch services from Taoyuan to Osaka, Japan.
Starlux has two wide-body Airbus 330neo airplanes to serve routes to Thailand and Ho Chi Minh City, and would also use them for flights to Singapore and Osaka, it said.
The carrier this month received its ninth Airbus 321neo and is planning to take delivery of two new Airbus 330neos by the end of the year, it said.
While other airlines have shifted to air cargo services to offset the loss in passenger revenue during the COVID-19 pandemic, Starlux’s cargo capacity remains limited. It reported a net loss of NT$1.22 billion (US$40.78 million) in the first quarter of the year, the worst among its local peers.
It has reported net losses of NT$8.15 billion since it began operations in 2020.
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