STARLUX Airlines to open direct Phoenix-Taiwan route next year

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport will be getting its first nonstop flight to Asia early next year, and its destination is no coincidence.

During her State of the City Address on Tuesday, Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego announced that STARLUX Airlines will begin new flights between Phoenix and Taipei City, the capital of Taiwan. What else is in Taiwan? The headquarters of the company that is building a large microchip manufacturing plant in north Phoenix.

“Phoenix’s first non-stop flight to Asia reflects the incredible strides we’ve made with our local economy,” Gallego said in a statement Tuesday. “And our emergence as an international city.”

In May 2020, the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company — more commonly known as TSMC — announced plans to establish a semiconductor plant in Arizona. Phoenix and Arizona have felt an economic impact ever since, especially since the investment promises high-paying jobs. This March, the company also announced its plan to invest $165 billion into its Phoenix facility, which is expected to bolster the U.S.’s microchip-making abilities.

While STARLUX advertises its flights as “unforgettable experiences,” the Phoenix-Taipei route will likely be most often used to connect TSMC with its large north Phoenix facility, and vice versa.

It’ll also be a route Arizona officials and business leaders may use. In March, Gov. Katie Hobbs made the trek to Taiwan for a diplomatic and business “trade mission,” according to a press release, in which she met with Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te and executives from the TSMC management team.

STARLUX plans to make three to four flights on the route a week. It will use an A350-900 aircraft that has 306 seats. Tickets for these flights, which will begin early next year, will go on sale once the Federal Aviation Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation sign off, according to a Sky Harbor press release.

The Taiwan-based “boutique” international airline has a total of 29 routes from Taiwan to other Asian countries and the U.S., including other direct flights to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Seattle. Launched in 2018, the airline aims to make “flying a truly luxurious and unforgettable experience,” according to its website.

“I knew from the moment I set foot in Phoenix that STARLUX should make the investment to fly here,” said STARLUX Chairman K.W. Chang in a statement. “Not only is the growth of business between Taipei and Phoenix staggering, it’s a perfect match for our level of service.”

In addition to the TSMC’s economic impact on the state, a Sky Harbor study suggests the new route will boost the local economy by $100 million each year.