STARLUX Airlines
, the Taiwan-based carrier, has ordered another five Airbus A350F cargo aircraft, complementing its previous order announced in February 2024.
A backlog of ten A350Fs
Airbus and the Taiwanese carrier announced that the airline ordered five additional A350F
units on January 9. As a result, STARLUX Airlines’ backlog of the A350F is now ten aircraft, with the carrier having ordered five units in February 2024.
Glenn Chai, the chief executive officer (CEO) of STARLUX Airlines, said that the cargo market is set to become a key element in the airline’s business model. Chai added that it would benefit from the advantages offered by Taiwan’s geographical location.
Photo: STARLUX Airlines
“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.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, the executive vice president of sales of Airbus Commercial Aircraft
, expressed gratitude for STARLUX Airlines’ continuous trust in the manufacturer’s products, noting that the A350F will seamlessly slot into the carrier’s fleet.
“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.”
In February 2024, in addition to five A350Fs, STARLUX Airlines ordered three A330-900
aircraft for its long-haul, widebody operations.
Related
Taiwan’s Starlux Enters Cargo Market With Airbus A350F Order & Buys More A330neos
The Taiwanese airline continues being a loyal Airbus customer, ordering more of the manufacturer’s aircraft during the Singapore Airshow.
All-Airbus operation
Since it launched commercial flights in January 2020, STARLUX Airlines has been an all-Airbus operator, having already taken delivery of more than two dozen aircraft from the European plane maker.
This includes 12 Airbus A321neo
, five A330-900, and eight A350-900
aircraft, totaling 26 single-aisle and twin-aisle jets that the airline has taken delivery between October 2019 and December 2024.
During the latter month, Airbus handed over two A350-900 aircraft, registered as B-58507 and B-58508, as it had pushed to reach its goal of “around” 770 deliveries in 2024. According to Reuters, which cited people familiar with the matter, the European plane maker ended the year with 766 deliveries, yet internal audits could cut the number by one or two aircraft before the final results are revealed on its website.
Photo: Airbus
According to the European plane maker’s website, the final 2024 results will be unveiled on January 9 at 17:45 local time (UTC +1).
Nevertheless, Airbus detailed that at the end of November 2024, the A350 family, which includes the A350-900, A350-1000
, and the freighter based on the latter, the A350F. The trio of aircraft variants had secured 1,345 orders, with ten customers ordering 55 A350Fs.
Before STARLUX Airlines, an 
Etihad Airways
cargo executive had confirmed that the Middle Eastern carrier added three more A350Fs. Stanislas Brun, the vice president of cargo of Etihad Airways, confirmed the development to FreightWaves in November 2024.
Related
Etihad Airways Orders 3 More Airbus A350 Freighters As Cargo Business Grows
The order came shortly after Etihad Airways reported that its cargo business was blossoming.
Entry-into-service in 2026
While neither party disclosed the delivery dates of the latest A350F order, Airbus previously outlined that, following a slight delay, the plane maker’s newest cargo aircraft should enter service in 2026.
“The A350F is also the only freighter aircraft that will fully meet ICAO’s enhanced CO₂ emissions standards, coming into effect in 2027.”
Photo: STARLUX Airlines
The A350F will be the only next-generation freighter aircraft for a brief period since the Boeing 777-8F
will not enter service until at least 2028. The United States-based manufacturer already announced that the 767F
will no longer be built beyond 2027, while the backlog of the 777F
has been slowly dwindling.
Ch-aviation data showed that Boeing last delivered a 777F on November 26, 2024, when Maersk Air Cargo, the air freight subsidiary of Denmark-based shipping company Maersk, welcomed an aircraft of the type, registered as OY-MAD.
However, throughout 2024, Boeing had secured 35 777F orders (as of November 30, 2024), including purchases from 
Emirates
, Turkish Airlines, and National Airlines. The latter, added to Boeing’s backlog in September, was announced during the Farnborough International Airshow in July 2024.
Related
Emirates Orders 5 More Boeing 777 Freighters
In 2024, Emirates has ordered a total of ten 777F aircraft. Boeing should deliver these aircraft in 2025 and 2026.
