Starlux Launching Flights From Taipei To Phoenix: Yay!

Intro

Phoenix has long been quite a limited airport in terms of long-haul connectivity. Outside of a few European routes, the airport doesn’t have much long-haul traffic. Well, Taiwanese-based carrier Starlux will soon be launching nonstop flights from Taipei to Phoenix Sky Harbor, and this is quite an exciting development! 

The Details

Beginning January 15th, 2026, Starlux is set to launch 3x weekly flights from Taipei to Phoenix utilizing an Airbus A350-900. Set to operate Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays, the A350-900 is laid out in a 4-class configuration with 4 First Class seats, 26 Business Class seats, 36 Premium Economy seats, and 240 economy seats. The schedule for the routing is as follows:

JX26: Taipei to Phoenix departing at 20:45 and arriving at 17:40 

JX25: Phoenix to Taipei departing at 22:45 and arriving at 04:55 (+2 days)

The interesting part to me here is just how much time on the ground the aircraft is spending. I have to imagine there is a reason for this, but I would have thought an 11 pm departure from Taipei on the outbound would work better, as the aircraft would then only be on the ground for 2.5 hours in Phoenix. 

I have actually yet to fly Starlux. However, I plan to very shortly...

So, the question: why is Starlux launching flights to Phoenix? 

Well, TSMC (Taiwanese Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is set to invest a whopping 165 billion dollars into its Phoenix facility. With the investment, one would presume that company workers will be frequently traveling back and forth between the two, hence the 3x weekly flights. 

My Thoughts 

I’ve gotta say, when I first read about Starlux launching these flights, I was a little surprised. However, after doing some more digging, it makes sense, but I am still somewhat skeptical. 

Sure, there will certainly be some demand on this route with the investment from TSMC, but the route cannot solely rely on that demand in order to succeed. And when you think about how brutally hot Phoenix is in the summer, I couldn’t personally imagine that there would be a lot of demand. 

Of course, I am excited when any airline adds a route, especially one that has never been served before, but one has to ask the serious question: Will it be profitable? I also wonder whether Arizona is offering incentives for Starlux and China Airlines 🤔. 

Final Thoughts 

Starlux is set to launch direct flights from Taipei to Phoenix as of January 2026. Considering Phoenix has no direct traffic to Asia at the moment, and with China Airlines also following suit after the announcement, it will be extremely interesting to see how this route plays out. One thing is for sure: award space should be more plentiful on this route...