Mainland Chinese air traffic may still be reeling from coronavirus, but Taiwan has a plucky new startup, Starlux Airlines, that has big plans for growth.

Founded by K.W. Chang, a former pilot of Boeing 777s and Airbus A320s and chairman of Eva Airways, Starlux has just begun services to Macau, Da Nang and Penang with Airbus A321neos and 926 staff. The plan is to add A350-900s and -1000s and reach a total fleet size of 27 aircraft by 2024.

This is not another low-cost, minimal-service venture. The neos have full-flat business-class seats, free on-board Wi Fi and high-definition inflight entertainment touchscreens. The same will be true of the widebodies when service to Europe and North America is flown in 2024.

On-ground facilities will be similarly robust, explains Iris Huang, a manager in the engineering and maintenance division. By the end of 2020, Starlux should have full-flight simulators, a round-the-clock monitoring and training center and a ditching training pool.

By the end of 2021, the carrier will be doing line maintenance and A checks, with heavy maintenance and component repairs to come by 2022. By mid-2022, Huang predicts the airline will have an automated retrieval system in a bonded warehouse, a power-plant shop and an area for repairing ground handling equipment.

Huang emphasizes that Starlux is the first Taiwanese airline to fly the A321neo and A350-1000, the first to offer full-flat business seating in narrowbodies and the first to have personal entertainment and free Wi Fi in all cabins.

Chang is an aviation veteran, so his new airline is already thinking ahead about its needs on a wider route structure. Starlux has partnered with Sabre’s GDS platform to access customers worldwide and, along with Brazilian veteran GOL Linhas Aéreas, recently joined the International Airline Technical Pool to access parts wherever it flies.