Taiwan’s premium carrier STARLUX Airlines touched down at Václav Havel Airport Prague on 1 August 2026, inaugurating the airline’s first scheduled service to Europe. Flight JX 890 arrived from Taipei Taoyuan shortly after 07:30 local time, receiving a traditional aircraft-water salute before Czech and Taiwanese officials, airport executives and media. The thrice-weekly service (Mon/Wed/Sat) will rise to four weekly rotations in October, offering 60 000 seats during the first winter season. The route is operated by the long-range Airbus A350-900 in a four-class configuration, transitioning to the larger A350-1000 from 1 September. STARLUX highlights the aircraft’s low fuel burn and cabin quietness as part of its brand promise of “affordable luxury”. In a nod to EU sustainability targets, all departures from Prague will include a 2 % blend of sustainable aviation fuel under the new ReFuelEU Aviation rules, making STARLUX the first Asian carrier to apply SAF on services from the Czech capital. Prague’s selection as the airline’s gateway reflects deepening Taiwan-Czech economic ties. Trade between the two economies has grown at double-digit rates since 2021, driven in part by Taiwanese investments in Central-European semiconductor and battery plants. STARLUX CEO Glenn Chai said the link will “shorten door-to-door travel times for engineers shuttling between Hsinchu, Taipei and the emerging ‘Silicon Valley of the Vltava’.” The carrier’s extensive Asian network (13 countries) also creates one-stop options for Czech business travellers heading to Japan, Korea or Southeast Asia without transiting the Gulf hubs. For corporates, the new route introduces the only lie-flat First-Class product between Prague and Asia and a cargo hold certified for high-tech equipment and lithium-ion batteries—valuable for Czech exporters of machine tools and pharmaceuticals. Tourism stakeholders expect the service to lift Taiwanese arrivals in the Czech Republic above the pre-pandemic record of 220 000 within a year, aided by a marketing campaign fronted by pop star Jolin Cai and a re-recording of her hit “Prague Square”. Analysts note that the launch intensifies competition on long-haul capacity from Prague, which has added Philadelphia, Riyadh, Jeddah and Bolzano links this summer. While Czech Airlines withdrew from Asia in 2020, Prague Airport management says STARLUX’s entry validates its post-covid strategy of courting premium, point-to-point carriers rather than relying solely on EU transfer traffic. If load factors exceed 80 %—the airline’s target—daily flights could follow in the 2027 summer timetable, further cementing Prague’s position as a Central-European gateway to North-East Asia.
Source: Václav Havel Airport Prague
