Taipei, Oct. 29 (CNA) The first Airbus A350-900 with new performance and cabin enhancements arrived in Taiwan on Saturday after being delivered to Starlux Airlines a day earlier in France.
The widebody aircraft arrived at Taoyuan International Airport at around 3:30 p.m., about 14 hours after departing from Toulouse, France, at 7 p.m. Friday (Toulouse time).
Starlux Chairman Chang Kuo-wei (張國煒) participated in the delivery ceremony at Airbus Headquarters in the French city before personally flying the new A350-900 back to Taiwan, according to a statement by the Taiwanese carrier.
Chang, who is a licensed pilot, began training on this aircraft in June and went to Singapore to obtain an Airbus license at the beginning of October in order to fly the A350, the company said.
The arrival of the new aircraft will enable Starlux to expand its service network from regional routes in Asia to North America, Chang said.
"With the addition of the A350-900, the StarLux fleet now can cover short, mid and long-range flights, providing service to passengers outside Asia," he was quoted as saying in the statement.
The new A350-900 delivered to Starlux features a cabin that is 4-inches wider and 35-inches longer than the A350s currently in service, providing more room for passengers in all classes and larger galleys for the cabin crew, Starlux said.
Cabins can also be customized with ambient lighting depending on the stage of the flight, a plus given that the aircraft will be used on long-haul routes, the company said.
Expected to take delivery of another A350-900 in December, Starlux said the aircraft that arrived in Taiwan on Saturday will initially fly to major cities within the Asia-Pacific region and start operations to Los Angeles in April 2023.
