Starlux Airlines to launch services to Barcelona, Zurich, Sydney and Auckland 

Airlines Starlux Airlines officially launched the flights to the United States with its first departure to Los Angeles US
Omid Behzadpour / Shutterstock.com

Taiwanese full-service carrier Starlux Airlines announced plans to add four new long-haul destinations to its network during 2027. 

In a public statement during the airlines’ annual shareholder meeting on May 29, 2026, Starlux Airlines Chair, Chang Kuo-wei, revealed that the airline is planning to launch new routes from its base in Taipei-Taoyuan (TPE) to Barcelona (BCN), Zürich (ZRH), Sydney (SYD) and Auckland (AKL), the latter being operated as an extension of the Sydney service. 

However, these plans are still under evaluation and no firm decision has yet been taken.  

If confirmed, these would be the first and only nonstop routes between these city pairs. The only other European destination that Starlux Airlines has so far confirmed is Prague (PRG), with a service set to start on August 1, 2026

On the Sydney route, Starlux Airlines will compete with another Taiwanese carrier, namely China Airlines. The latter also operates a service to Auckland, as does Air New Zealand. 

At the same conference, the head of Starlux Airlines confirmed that a further US expansion is also under consideration, with Chicago, Washington, New York and Dallas being assessed as the next potential gateways in North America. Starlux already has a significant footprint on the US West Coast, where it already serves Los Angeles International (LAX), Ontario International Airport (ONT),  San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and Seattle-Tacoma (SEA), as well as Phoenix (PHX), Arizona, a state in which the Taiwanese microchip industry has made large investments. 

Before the end of 2026, the Taiwanese airline will also be launching services to Busan (PUS) in South Korea, as well as the Indonesian island of Bali (DPS). 

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