TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Amid swirling concerns about Taiwan's competitive airline industry, K.W. Chang (張國煒), chairman of luxury carrier Starlux Airlines (星宇航空), delivered a sobering message to shareholders at their annual meeting on Friday (June 13). The aviation executive cautioned that the extraordinary ticket prices that characterized the post-pandemic travel surge represented an anomaly rather than a new norm, signaling that the industry should temper expectations for outsized profits in the coming years.
Chang painted a picture of an aviation sector transformed into a fiercely competitive marketplace, particularly highlighting the growing pressure from budget airlines that continue to reshape consumer expectations. Ticket prices have noticeably declined this year, especially on popular routes to Japan, he explained to the gathered investors. When confronted by minority shareholders about Starlux's performance metrics compared to Taiwan's aviation giants EVA Air (長榮) and China Airlines (華航), Chang defended his fledgling carrier, emphasizing the contextual reality that Starlux — at merely five years old — operates at a different stage of development than its decades-established competitors.
Despite the challenging outlook, Chang identified strategic investment opportunities within the aviation sector, particularly emphasizing the critical importance of accelerating aircraft acquisition to remain competitive. While acknowledging that Starlux would navigate significant headwinds in the near term, he projected that operating costs would gradually normalize as the airline's fleet expansion materializes. In a move that signaled the carrier's ambitious growth trajectory, Chang unveiled plans to inaugurate European routes next year — a development that would stretch the capabilities of the current fleet — while teasing an imminent announcement regarding substantial aircraft purchases that would include enhanced first-class offerings to differentiate the Starlux experience.
The aviation executive further elaborated on the practical constraints facing the airline's expansion plans, noting that the global aircraft delivery market remains constricted with manufacturers struggling to meet demand. Chang explained that while strategic planning for additional narrow-body aircraft continues, these acquisitions would require patience, prompting Starlux to maximize utilization of its existing A330 wide-body fleet in the interim. We must be "pragmatic" about the current market realities while positioning ourselves for long-term growth, he told shareholders, balancing caution with his characteristic entrepreneurial vision. ◼
