Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines will add another destination in Japan, Hakodate, to its network starting in February 2024. In March 2024, it will also launch its first destination out of Taichung, Macau. Continue reading to learn more. Starlux Airlines to...

Taiwan’s Starlux Airlines will add another destination in Japan, Hakodate, to its network starting in February 2024. In March 2024, it will also launch its first destination out of Taichung, Macau.

Continue reading to learn more.

Both of the upcoming routes will be served by Starlux Airlines’ A321neos.

Starlux Airlines to Launch Taipei – Hakodate in February 2024

Earlier today, Starlux Airlines announced on its social media that it will launch flights between its Taipei Taoyuan base and Hakodate in Hokkaido, Japan, on February 1, 2024.

From then until the end of February, the flights will operate between two and four times a week (on February 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, and 29). During March 2024, Starlux will serve the route daily. The airline has not announced its plans for the route beyond that.

The Taipei Taoyuan – Hakodate route will operate with the following schedule:

JX860 / Taipei Taoyuan – Hakodate / 12:30PM – 5:00PM JX861 / Hakodate – Taipei Taoyuan / 6:00PM – 9:35PM

Starlux Airlines will use Airbus A321neo with a total of 188 seats (8 lie-flat business class seats in a 2-2 layout and 180 economy class seats in a 3-3 layout) on the route.

Starlux Airlines A321neo economy class.

Hakodate will be Starlux Airlines’ ninth destination in Japan after Fukuoka, Kumamoto, Nagoya Chubu, Naha, Osaka Kansai, Sapporo New Chitose, Sendai, and Tokyo Narita. It will be the airline’s second destination on the island of Hokkaido after Sapporo.

The Taipei Taoyuan – Hakodate route is already served by Tigerair Taiwan five times a week using its Airbus A320neo with 180 seats in an all-economy class configuration.

Macau to Be Starlux Airlines’ First Destination Out of Taichung

Earlier this month, Starlux Airlines opened an office in Taichung as part of its plan to launch flights out of the major city located in central Taiwan. While at the time I speculated and guessed that Tokyo Narita would be the first destination out of the city, I was wrong.

It turns out that Starlux Airlines’ first scheduled destination out of Taichung will be Macau. The route is currently scheduled to operate eight times a week starting from March 31, 2024, and to scale down to once a day from July 1, 2024, until October 26, 2024. Flights during the winter schedule (i.e. October 27, 2024, onwards) have not been put up for sale yet.

The daily flights that will run at least until October 26, 2024, are currently scheduled to operate as follows:

JX331 / Taichung – Macau / 5:45PM – 7:30PM JX332 / Macau – Taichung / 7:30PM – 9:20PM

That said, given that the flights are scheduled to both arrive and depart at the same time and that there is are no flights between Taipei Taoyuan and Macau timed in such a way that an aircraft swap between the two routes would be possible, the schedule will have to change in one way or another by the time the flights launch.

The additional weekly flight that will run until the end of June 2024, will operate every Monday with the following schedule:

JX329 / Taichung – Macau / 8:30AM – 10:15AM / Mon JX330 / Macau – Taichung / 11:20AM – 1:10PM / Mon

Starlux Airlines will use the Airbus A321neo on this route as well.

The A321neo is the smallest aircraft in Starlux Airlines’ all-Airbus fleet.

The Taichung – Macau route is already served by Tigerair Taiwan four times a week.

Starlux already has a presence in Macau too, with double daily flights from Taipei Taoyuan. Additionally, as reported by Aeroroutes, the airline will also operate scheduled charters between Taichung and Da Nang, Macau, and Takamatsu for a Taiwanese tour company starting at the end of March/beginning of April 2024.

Tigerair Taiwan already serves both routes Starlux Airlines plans to launch.

Summary

In early 2024, Starlux Airlines will expand its regional operations by adding its ninth destination in Japan, Hakodate, to its network, and by launching its first scheduled route out of Taichung, connecting the city with Macau.

Both of these flights will be operated by the smallest aircraft type in its fleet, the 188-seat Airbus A321neo. On both routes, Starlux will compete with the low-cost airline Tigerair Taiwan.

The post Starlux Adds Taipei – Hakodate and Taichung – Macau in February and March 2024 appeared first on KN Aviation.

---

View Entire Post