IN FOR THE LONG-HAUL

ASIA’S competitive aviation market looks set to gain two new contenders, with start-up airlines Starlux Airlines from Taiwan and Bamboo Airways from Vietnam firming up big orders for new long-haul aircraft.

Full-service carrier Starlux, scheduled to launch in 2019, has placed an order for 12 of Airbus’s new A350-1000 aircraft as well as five of its predecessor, the A350-900, with the hopes of operating long-haul services from 2022.

Meanwhile, hybrid airline Bamboo Airways – also expected to take off in early 2019, has firmed up an order for 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which it expects to receive from April 2020 onwards. starlux-airlines.com; bambooairways.com