Taiwanese full-service carrier Starlux first deployed its Airbus A350s on daily Singapore-Taipei flights back in June 2023, treating passengers to the type’s enhanced Business Class seat and coveted single-row First Class cabin. The bad news? The airline swapped the A350 for A330neos (and sometimes A321neos) in early 2025.

But there’s good news once again: the A350 is making a comeback to the Lion City, at least for the northern summer season running from late March through late October 2026.

It’s a welcome upgrade from the current A330neo operation and will also see the return of a First Class option on the route for those wanting to head to Taipei, or even beyond to destinations like the USA, in the ultimate luxury.

Starlux Airbus A350 Singapore Schedule

Starlux is now loading the Airbus A350-900 to and from Changi as shown in the following schedule.

The A350 will replace the carrier’s Airbus A330neo on this route, which operates until 28th March 2026.

Starlux
Singapore ⇄ Taipei
29th March 2026 – 24th October 2026

			Days
			M	T	W	T	F	S	S
	JX772 A350-900
SIN 14:00		TPE 18:50
Duration: 04:50
	JX771 A350-900
TPE 08:00		SIN 12:40
Duration: 04:40

Operation of the type is currently only programmed through to the end of the summer schedule on 24th October 2026, after which the Airbus A330neo picks up the baton once again, based on current timetable filings.

Starlux shifted its Singapore Changi Airport operations from Terminal 1 to Terminal 2 in August 2024.

That’s seen the carrier allocate the SATS Premier Lounge in T2 for use by its Business Class passengers – not the greatest facility at the airport by any stretch of the imagination, as we covered in our review here.

USA connections

Starlux has been quietly expanding its USA network, and the carrier’s Singapore schedule allows connections with the following flights:

• Taipei – Los Angeles: JX2 departing at 00:10
• Los Angeles to Taipei: JX1 landing at 05:40
• Taipei – Ontario: JX10 departing at 20:05
• Ontario – Taipei: JX9 landing at 04:15
• Taipei – Phoenix: JX26 departing at 20:10
• Phoenix – Taipei: JX25 landing at 04:55
• Taipei – San Francisco: JX12 departing at 00:05
• San Francisco – Taipei: JX11 landing at 05:25
• Taipei – Seattle: JX32 departing at 20:10
• Seattle – Taipei: JX31 landing at 04:55

Seattle, Phoenix and Ontario in particular have the shortest transit times in the Singapore – USA direction. All of these USA services use the carrier’s Airbus A350, with a First Class option.

Business Class

This aircraft swap will be a nice improvement on Starlux’s current daily Singapore flights through to 28th March 2026, which are operated by the Airbus A330neo, offering the carrier’s regional wide-body Safran Skylounge Core Business Class seats.

The carrier’s A350s, on the other hand, have the Collins Elements suite with 26 seats in a 1-2-1 configuration, sporting 48-inch-high closing privacy doors.

The herringbone arrangement in this cabin sees window seats and middle seats angled away from the aisle, in a similar layout to the British Airways Club Suite (see our recent review here).

Here’s how the First Class and Business Class seat map looks on Starlux’s A350-900, with rows 2 to 8 representing the Business Class section.

Aside from the obvious row 1 space and privacy benefit in First Class, the only apparent downside is seen at the middle seat pair 8D and 8G, sandwiched between the two toilets at the rear of the cabin and closest to the galley area, where foot traffic and noise disturbance is more likely.

Each seat in this cabin boasts a 24-inch 4K in-flight entertainment screen, bigger than any SIA offers in Business Class, and unsurprisingly also converts to a fully-flat bed.

One of the nifty new features on the Starlux Airbus A350s is one many of us are already familiar with when flying on the Boeing 787 – electro-dimmable passenger windows (EDWs).

Starlux is the launch customer to add this option to its A350s, which Airbus claims will transition twice as fast between light and dark, plus block out more light, compared to the original versions on the market.

As you can see there is therefore no physical window shade installed, with the EDW brightness controlled by a panel at the window base.

Further photos of the product are still awaited, with Starlux teasing only a few details to date, including a screen at the back wall of the cabin, greeting passengers on boarding with “a digital illustration of [an] ever-growing bouquet of flowers”.

Based on a round-trip fare in September 2026, Starlux is offering its Business Class product from Singapore to Taipei from around S$2,450.

First Class

One of the big selling points of the new Starlux A350s is the inclusion of a four-seat single-row First Class cabin, with 60-inch-high closing doors for privacy, a wardrobe to store your belongings, and a huge 32-inch 4K in-flight entertainment screen.

The great news for those who wish to try it out is that these will be available to book on the Singapore – Taipei route, unlike during the initial intra-Asia training flights including Bangkok, Tokyo and Macau where the cabin remained unsold.

Starlux is now the only Taiwanese carrier offering a First Class cabin, with both China Airlines and EVA Air discontinuing their own First Class products over the last few years.

Unfortunately Starlux First Class looks to be more of a ‘Business Plus’ concept, with no physical partition between that section and the Business Class cabin (just a higher wall around the seats themselves).

Based on a round-trip fare in September 2026, Starlux is offering its First Class product from Singapore to Taipei from around S$5,580.

Other cabins

The Starlux A350 also features a Premium Economy cabin, a first for the carrier, with 36 seats in a 2-4-2 configuration.

This could be a good time to try these seats out to see if they are worth considering on the carrier’s long-haul flights to and from the USA.

Based on a round-trip fare in September 2026, Starlux is offering its Premium Economy Class product from Singapore to Taipei from around S$790, which seems a reasonable outlay for this kind of seat and a great option for couples next to the window.

Finally the largest cabin on the Starlux A350s is the 240-seat Economy Class section, which has a 3-3-3 layout – not so friendly for couples, unlike the carrier’s 2-4-2 layout in Economy on the A330neo.

These are the same Recaro CL3710 seats fitted to the airline’s A330neo aircraft, including a 13.3-inch 4K Ultra-HD IFE screen.

Based on a round-trip fare in September 2026, Starlux is offering its Economy Class product from Singapore to Taipei from around S$360.

Taipei lounge

Starlux Business Class passengers and elite COSMILE status holders also get to enjoy the fantastic looking Galactic Lounge in Taipei before their flight, which has only recently opened its doors.

Fine dining is on the agenda here, with “carefully prepared dishes served by professional chefs”.

Will Starlux join Oneworld?

In good news for frequent flyers, Starlux has announced its intention to apply for membership in the Oneworld alliance. That was supposed to happen by the end of 2025, but hopefully it’s still on the cards, despite that deadline already passing.

Oneworld membership would enhance the airline’s global connectivity, while offering a wider range of mileage earning and redemption options.

If successful, Starlux would become the first Taiwanese carrier to join Oneworld, since China Airlines and EVA Air are affiliated with SkyTeam and Star Alliance, respectively.

While there’s no timeline in store yet, and Oneworld founder airline Cathay Pacific could potentially veto Starlux’s entry into the alliance given the proximity and overlap of its own market, signs are still positive for the time being, so watch this space for future developments.

In the meantime, it’s now possible to redeem Alaska Mileage Plan miles when flying on Starlux, which is a possibility for some of our readers who buy Alaska miles in their regular sales.

The return of Starlux’s A350 to Singapore, even if only for the northern summer season, is welcome news for premium cabin enthusiasts wanting to experience one of Asia’s newest and most talked-about products.

The Collins Elements Business Class suite is a nice step up from the A330neo’s regional configuration, while the four-seat First Class cabin offers a rare opportunity to sample a product that few other carriers in the region are willing to invest in (though it doesn’t come cheap!).

With Alaska Mileage Plan currently the only redemption option available to Singapore-based travellers and Oneworld membership still on the distant horizon, most flyers will need to fork out cash for the experience.

(Cover Photo: Steven Byles)