The agreement for five A350Fs and three more A330neos was signed at the show by KW Chang, Chairman of STARLUX Airlines and Christian Scherer, CEO of the Commercial Aircraft business at Airbus.
STARLUX will be the first Taiwanese airline to operate the A350F, which is under development and will have a maximum payload of 111 tonnes with a range of 4,700 nautical miles.
The A350F is powered by Rolls-Royce Trent-XWB97 engines, with Airbus saying that the A350F will cut fuel consumption and carbon emissions by up to 40% compared to older B747Fs and be at least 20% more efficient than the competition.
It has the largest main deck cargo door in the industry and over 70% of the airframe is made from advanced materials, making the take-off weight 46 tonnes lighter than the competition.
Glenn Chai, CEO of STARLUX, says, “In an era of climate change, the A350F has unbeatable efficiency in terms of fuel burn, CO2 emissions and economics, offering significant energy-saving and carbon reduction benefits. It not only meets customer requirements for carbon reduction but also aligns with STARLUX’s ESG plan to achieve zero emissions by 2050.”
Benoit de Saint-Exupery, EVP Sales Commercial Aircraft at Airbus, adds, “The A350F, the only new generation large freighter, will fit seamlessly into this all-Airbus fleet and enable STARLUX Airlines to compete effectively with the leading players in key cargo markets.”