Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year.
In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan.
Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs.
Photo courtesy of Starlux Airlines
The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories.
Joining Oneworld would also help boost the efficiency of Starlux, Chai said.
China Airlines, one of the two leading international carriers in Taiwan, is in the SkyTeam alliance, while the other, EVA Airways, is a member of Star Alliance.
There is room for Starlux Airlines to expand into the global market, Chai said.
The capacity of China Airlines and EVA Airways is only 65 percent of that of the international Singaporean carriers and Starlux could help expand the Taiwanese airline business, he said.
Starlux Airlines said it expects to continue raking in profits in the third quarter. As international crude oil prices are falling, its profit is likely to rise.
Starlux Airlines, which was set up on May 2, 2018, and launched its maiden flights in 2020, turned a profit for the first time last year, when it posted a net profit of NT$149 million (US$4.67 million) with earnings per share (EPS) at NT$0.08.
In the first half of this year, the carrier’s EPS stood at NT$0.39, up from US$0.18 over the same period last year.
Starlux operates 29 routes to 27 destinations, the carrier said.
It plans to launch new flights to North America, Europe, China and Australia.
Starlux Airlines launched its direct flights between Taipei and Seattle on Aug. 16.
The city is the third destination in the US that the airline flies to, after Los Angeles and San Francisco.
Starlux chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) last week said that the carrier is looking to increase its flights to Los Angeles and Seattle, and is also eyeing other US destinations such as New York, Dallas and Houston.
The average number of Starlux flights hit 238 a week this year. That figure is expected to rise to 278 next year.
At the end of last month, Starlux took delivery of its sixth A350-900 passenger aircraft and is to introduce two more by the end of this year, boosting its fleet to 26.
The fleet is expected to expand to 33 next year and 53 in 2029.
Starlux is to take delivery of five A350F cargo planes from 2027 to 2029 and said it is upbeat about the transit and cargo business.
Starlux has secured approval from the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) to move its listing to the local main board from the emerging market.
Its shares are expected to trade on the TWSE by the end of this year.
In Taiwan, a company must list its shares on the emerging market for at least six months before seeking to transfer to the main board or the over-the-counter market.
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as