Starlux adds fourth weekly Taipei-Prague flight from 1 October

Fourth weekly rotation

The Monday flight joins departures on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, Business Traveller reported. Starlux launched the route on 1 August as its first European destination, the Taipei Times reported.

China Airlines also serves Taipei-Prague, having begun the route in 2023. The Taipei Times reported it increased to three weekly flights in April; Business Traveller said it has operated twice weekly since 2023.

Starlux spokesperson Walter Liang said the route's passenger load factor was 82% in August and was expected to stay above 80% in November despite the low season for European travel, helped by Czech travellers flying to Japan via Taiwan, the Taipei Times reported.

Under an agreement with Smartwings, from the start of October passengers can book flights operated by both airlines on a single ticket, with baggage checked through to the final destination, Prague Daily News reported on 15 September. The arrangement gives Starlux passengers connections to other European cities through Prague and gives European travellers more ways into the Taiwanese carrier's Asian network.

Why the route matters

Prague Airport estimated before launch that the route would carry around 95,000 passengers in its first year, Aerospace Global News reported.

CzechTourism recorded 108,800 Taiwanese visitor arrivals in Czechia in the first eight months of 2026, up 5.9% on the same period a year earlier, with August arrivals up 21.1% to 15,900, the Taipei Times reported.

Starlux CEO Glenn Chai described Prague as an important milestone and pointed to growing business travel demand tied to semiconductor supply-chain ties between Taiwan and Czechia, AeroTime reported. Taiwanese suppliers are expanding in Central Europe after TSMC's Dresden project, including TaMiCo Technology's planned plant for cleaning and surface-treating chip components in the Usti nad Labem region, the Taipei Times reported.

Starlux reported record monthly revenue of NT$5.728 billion in July, up 42.89% year on year, the month before Prague opened, Taiwan News reported.

Launch and aircraft

The first flight left Taoyuan at 12:50 a.m. on 1 August and landed in Prague at 9:01 a.m. local time, with chairman K.W. Chang in the left seat, FTN News and AeroTime reported. Starlux is the second Taiwanese carrier to fly nonstop to the Czech capital, after China Airlines, and the only carrier offering First Class on the route, Business Traveller reported.

The sector covers 5,611 miles (8,978 km) and takes about 13 hours 40 minutes westbound, roughly an hour less coming back, Aerospace Global News reported. The A350-900 that opened the route seats 306 passengers in four cabins, including four first class suites and 26 business class seats, Business Traveller reported.

AeroTime reported the route was scheduled to shift to the larger A350-1000 from 1 September. Business Traveller and AeroTime said the larger aircraft seats 350 passengers, 44 more than the A350-900. Aerospace Global News listed the same four-cabin breakdown of four first, 40 business, 36 premium and 270 economy seats but gave the total as 340, a figure that does not match its own cabin counts.

Two A350-1000s in silver and gold AIRSORAYAMA liveries, made with Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama, are expected to appear regularly on Prague, Tokyo and Phoenix, AeroTime reported. The gold aircraft landed in the Czech capital in early September, Prague Daily News reported.

Why Prague

Starlux chief strategy officer Simon Liu told CNA that “the Czech Republic is one of the few potential markets in Europe not restricted by traffic rights,” Taiwan News reported. He said Prague Airport offers connections to Germany, Austria and Poland, and that tourism, particularly high-end travel, is expected to account for 50% of the route's traffic at first.

EVA Air and China Airlines already serve London, Paris, Frankfurt and Amsterdam between them, which leaves Prague with less competition, Aerospace Global News reported. Jaroslav Filip, Prague Airport's aviation business director, said the decision reflects Prague's growing appeal as a market in Europe. Martin Kucera, a member of the airport's board, said the choice reflected confidence in the partnership.

Taiwan News reported that Starlux is scheduled to add Barcelona as its second European destination.