STARLUX airlines, Taiwan’s youngest airline celebrated the graduation of their first batch of cadets earlier in the week. The batch of 10 cadets is the first of the airline’s cadet-trained First Officers to graduate and will soon start their journey across the skies.
On Monday this week, STARLUX airlines released a set of images of the graduation ceremony held for their first cadet-trained First Officers. The airline outlines their cadet training progress where the student pilots will be sent abroad for their ab initio training but will return eventually to Taiwan to be trained in STARLUX’s own full flight simulator. Upon completion of CPL and IR in Adelaide, Australia, with FTA, the cadets will be sent back to Taiwan for Type Rating and line training where they will gain their flying experience through real-life flights before being released as First Officers.
STARLUX Airlines is a rising star in the Asian market
Based in Taoyuan International Airport in Taipei, STARLUX is the youngest yet most glamorous airline with a futuristic vibe to its branding. Their name says it all, the airline has its eyes set to become an international luxury brand. STARLUX had their maiden flight back in January 2020, from Taipei to Macau and currently, they have 5 Airbus 320neos to operate flights within Asia with ordered also placed for Airbus A330 and A350. It may not have been the best time to start an airline but STARLUX is striving by offering a plethora of subsidiary merchandise from snacks available in convenience stores to aviation-themed clothing. STARLUX’s initial plan to establish Asian destinations is underway with their first flight to Singapore back in September. The airline is planning to have their Airbus A321neos start serving more Asian destinations like Bangkok, Osaka, and Tokyo this month.
New Airlines Familiar Faces
STARLUX is the 7th Taiwanese airline to offer passenger transportation. With its relatively smooth and rapid development progress, many would wonder who is behind the setup of STARLUX in the already fierce duopoly international market between China Airlines and EVA Air. The founder of STARLUX is none other than Chang Kuo Wei, the former CEO of EVA Air. For those who are not too familiar with the history of Asian aviation, Chang’s family was the founder of Evergreen Group, the parent company of EVA Air. This explains how STARLUX had managed to retrieve their first Airbus A321neo just 3 years after the company was founded back in 2018.
Whilst it is rare to see such new airlines offer cadet programmes, the experience, and standards inherited from EVA Air will certainly aid STARLUX and their crew to achieve international standards to ensure comfort and safety. We are thrilled to see what the future holds for STARLUX when the border opens after the pandemic.
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