STARLUX bringing flagship A350-900 back to Singapore in March 2026

Back in June 2023, STARLUX brought its brand new Airbus A350-900 to Singapore as part of a series of regional deployments for crew familiarisation, ahead of the aircraft’s entry into long-haul service on North America routes. 

This was a big upgrade over the existing A330-900neo, replacing regional Business Class with a more premium long-haul version, while introducing Premium Economy and even a four-seater First Class cabin (though “cabin” is a bit of a misnomer, given that the seats are located in the first row of Business Class, without any divider).

Surprisingly, the A350-900 stuck around for much longer than expected, all the way until January 2025 when it was replaced by the A321neo, which was then replaced by the A330-900neo once again.

If you’ve been missing STARLUX’s flagship aircraft, however, here’s some good news. From late March 2026, it’ll be coming back to Singapore!

STARLUX bringing A350-900 back to Singapore

From 29 March 2026, JX771/772 between Singapore and Taipei will be operated daily by an A350-900, replacing the existing A330-900neo.

The updated aircraft type is already showing on the STARLUX website, and is currently rostered until 24 October 2026, the last day of the Northern Summer schedule. Following this, it will revert to the A330-900neo once more.

The unfortunate thing about this flight is the timing. It’s not ideal for those who want to travel from Singapore to Taiwan (since you arrive in Taipei in the evening and leave Taipei early in the morning), and even if your plan is to connect via Taipei to STARLUX’s North America destinations, there’s a 4-5 hour layover waiting for you.

All four cabins will be offered for sale, and here’s an idea of how much fares will cost for a week-long round-trip from Singapore to Taipei in April:

• First Class: S$5,470
• Business Class: S$2,213
• Premium Economy Class: S$775
• Economy Class: S$399

Will STARLUX join oneworld in 2026?

STARLUX had previously announced its intention to apply for oneworld membership by the end of 2025, but with the year almost over, there hasn’t been any news on this front.

What’s likely going on behind the scenes is that oneworld founding member Cathay is vetoing the move, due to concerns about geographical proximity between Hong Kong and STARLUX’s home base of Taiwan. As one of the founding airlines of the oneworld alliance, Cathay has veto rights on new members joining, so for better or worse, nothing will happen until they can be suitably placated.

Until then, the only practical way of redeeming STARLUX flights is with Alaska Atmos Rewards Points. Here’s how much it would cost to redeem a one-way award between Singapore and Taipei on STARLUX:

• Economy: 25,000 points
• Premium Economy: 32,500 points
• Business: 50,000 points

First Class awards should theoretically be possible, but I have yet to see them in the wild and have no idea how much they would cost.

At the time of writing, HeyMax is the only option for transfers to Alaska Atmos Rewards in Singapore. 

What to expect from STARLUX’s A350s

STARLUX has a total of 10 A350-900s in its fleet (and a further 18 of the -1000 variant on order).

These carry a total of 306 passengers in a four-class layout:

• 4 First Class
• 26 Business Class
• 36 Premium Economy Class
• 240 Economy Class

First Class

STARLUX’s A350-900s have four First Class suites, configured in a 1-2-1 layout.

However, this is not a separate cabin from Business Class. Instead, mirroring an approach we’ve seen Virgin Atlantic and a few other carriers take, the first row of the Business Class cabin has been replaced by four First Class suites, with no physical partitioning.

Each suite has a 60-inch (1.5m) tall door and privacy walls, as well as zero-gravity seat settings (first introduced with Emirates on their new B777-300ER First Class). A zero-gravity position removes pressure from the elbows, back and neck, ensuring maximum comfort. 

Passengers enjoy massive 32-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio connectivity, as well as personal wardrobes and mini-bars.  

Having seen the product firsthand, I have to say I’m a bit confused about what the strategy is here. While the soft product is definitely upgraded, this is, for all intents and purposes, a nicer Business Class seat rather than a bespoke First Class product. And while the seats have higher privacy walls, they’re still located within the Business Class cabin, so it’s not as private as a completely separate cabin would be. This would certainly work as a “Business Plus” product, but for more than 2x the cost of Business Class? That’s a tough one.

Business Class

STARLUX’s A350-900s have 26 Business Class seats, configured in a 1-2-1 layout. Both window and middle seats are angled away from the aisle, providing greater privacy and a better couple’s experience for those in the middle seats. 

Seats have 48-inch (1.2m) privacy doors, 24-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio connectivity. There’s also 44-45 inches of seat pitch, zero-gravity settings, and of course full-flat beds.

I had the opportunity to try this seat earlier this year, and was very impressed by the overall experience. I’d go so far as to say it’s one of the best Business Class seats out there at the moment, and well worth a try.

Review: STARLUX A350-900 Business Class (TPE-SFO)

Premium Economy Class

STARLUX’s Premium Economy product debuted on the A350-900, with all 36 seats featuring leg rests and footrest bars, as well as 15.6-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth audio. 

Seats are configured in a 2-4-2 configuration, similar to Singapore Airlines. 

Economy Class

STARLUX’s 240 Economy Class seats are in a 3-3-3 configuration, adding an additional seat over the 2-4-2 configuration of its A330neo.

All seats will have 13.3-inch screens with 4K resolution and Bluetooth connectivity. In fact, they’re more or less the same as the ones you’ll find on the A330neo. 

Dimmable windows and a wider cabin

Cabin products aside, STARLUX was the first carrier to introduce dimmable windows on the A350. You may already be familiar with these from your travels on the B787 Dreamliner- an electric current is passed through a gel-like substance to control opacity, allowing for shadeless operation.

Airbus claims these block 99.999% of light (100X darker than the previous generation), darken twice as fast, and reduce the strain on the cabin’s air conditioning equipment. 

Also noteworthy is the fact that STARLUX is the first to receive a slightly larger A350 cabin, which is four inches wider and 35 inches longer than the current generation.

Conclusion

After a lengthy absence, STARLUX will be bringing its flagship A350-900 back to Singapore from the end of March next year.

This will be a significant upgrade for Business Class passengers, and will also introduce First and Premium Economy Class on the Taipei route. I’m actually curious whether STARLUX will use the interim JetQuay CIP Lounge again for First Class, like they did the last time!

Unfortunately, with alliance membership still eluding STARLUX, the only practical way of flying for most Singaporeans will be to buy tickets with cash, and as luxurious as the STARLUX experience may be, I’m not sure how that flight timing would suit most travellers.

(Cover photo: Plane’s Portrait Aviation Media)