CEBU, Philippines — Taiwanese STARLUX Airlines officially commenced its daily direct flight from Mactan Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to Taipei.
GMR MEGAWIDE Cebu Airport Corporation (GMCAC), together with the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA), officially welcomed STARLUX Airlines with its inaugural flight from Taoyuan International Airport on January 17, 2023.
STARLUX Airlines commenced its daily Cebu-Taipei flights with a 188-seater Airbus A321neo. The new direct flight arrives at MCIA Terminal 2 at 1:05 p.m. and departs for Taoyuan International Airport at 2:05 p.m. PST.
With the upcoming Chinese New Year, STARLUX Airlines offers more options for passengers to visit tourist attractions in Taiwan with the addition of this new service.
“The addition of STARLUX reinforces our commitment to establish more connectivity for our passengers and the luxurious experience that STARLUX offers also help us in bringing more options and a better passenger experience. We are grateful and looking with much anticipation as we welcome STARLUX into our network,” said Rafael Aboitiz, GMCAC Director.
An inaugural ceremony was also given to passengers departing for Taipei on the same day with a cake-cutting ceremony and a water cannon salute.
“It is with much delight and gratitude to welcome STARLUX Airlines to MCIA with its Cebu to Taipei service. The expansion of Starlux route to Cebu gives us an avenue to attain our goal of recovery and establishing wider connectivity,” said MCIAA General Manager and chief executive officer (CEO) Julius Neri, Jr.
STARLUX is the newest Taiwanese international airline company with headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan. The airline now serves 15 routes including Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, Macau, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, Manila, and Cebu.
With the recent delivery of its A350-900XWB, STARLUX will further expand its routes in North America, giving Cebu and other VisMin passengers a connection to North America.
With the addition of this new carrier, MCIA now has 14 foreign and four Philippine-based airline partners and connects to 26 domestic destinations and 10 international destinations.