East Asia carrier doubles freighter fleet with latest Airbus order
Taiwanese airline, STARLUX, has placed a firm order with aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, for five more A350F freighters.
This doubles an initial order from the airline last year for five of the all-new cargo aircraft. The A350F fleet will be operated by STARLUX Cargo on some of the world’s busiest freight routes.
Wings for the aircraft are manufactured at the Airbus factory in Broughton, near Chester, which employs around 4,500 staff. The group also employs several thousand staff in Filton, near Bristol.
Glenn Chai, CEO of STARLUX, said: “The cargo market is set to become a key element in our business model and will benefit from the advantages offered by Taiwan’s geographical location.
“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.”
Benoit de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales Commercial Aircraft, said: “We thank STARLUX Airlines for its ongoing confidence in Airbus and its products.
“The A350F will fit seamlessly into the carrier’s latest generation all-Airbus fleet which offers unrivalled levels of technical and operational commonality. 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.”
To date STARLUX Airlines operates a fleet of 26 Airbus aircraft including the A321neo (new engine option), the A330neo and the A350-900.
Currently under development, the A350F can carry a payload of up to 111 tonnes and can fly up to 4,700 nautical miles/8,700 kilometres.
Powered by the latest Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 engines, the aircraft will bring a reduction in fuel consumption and carbon emissions of up to 40% when compared with previous generation aircraft with a similar payload-range capability.
The A350F features the largest main deck cargo door in the industry, with fuselage length and capacity optimised around the industry’s standard pallets and containers.
More than 70% of the airframe is made of advanced materials, resulting in a 46 tonne lighter take off weight than the competing derivative. The A350F is also the only freighter aircraft that will fully meet ICAO’s enhanced CO₂ emissions standards, coming into effect in 2027, said Airbus.
At the end of November 2024, the latest generation widebody A350 Family had won 1,345 orders from 61 customers worldwide, including 55 for the all-new A350F from 10 leading cargo carriers.
Meanwhile, the group has revealed that it delivered 766 commercial aircraft to 86 customers around the world in 2024.
The Commercial Aircraft business registered 878 gross new orders. As a result, its 2024 year end backlog stood at 8,658 aircraft.
Christian Scherer, CEO Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, said, “2024 confirmed sustained demand for new aircraft. We won key customer decisions with most important customers and saw phenomenal momentum for our widebody orderbook, complementing our leading position in the single aisle market.
“On deliveries, we kept our trajectory and celebrated several landmark firsts. These include the first ever A321XLR as well as first A330neo and A350 deliveries to several customers globally.”
He added: “Given the complex and fast-changing environment we continue to operate in, we consider 2024 a good year. It has been a massive team effort to deliver this 2024 result.”
Source: Neil Hodgson 'The Business Desk'