Starlux Airlines' "Sorayama Silver" to Debut on Tokyo Route July 12; Chang Kuo-wei Reveals Challenges of Artistic Livery

(CNA Taipei, July 9) Starlux Airlines' first specially painted aircraft, "Sorayama Silver," will make its maiden flight on the Tokyo route on July 12. Starlux Airlines Chairman Chang Kuo-wei said today that due to the composite material of the A350-1000's fuselage, achieving a metallic texture with the livery is extremely difficult.

The first art aircraft, "STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Sorayama Silver" (Aircraft Registration: B-58553), a collaboration between Starlux Airlines and Japanese artist Hajime Sorayama, was delivered in France on July 3 and arrived in Taiwan on July 5.

Starlux Airlines held a press conference today for the STARLUX AIRSORAYAMA Art Project, officially unveiling "Sorayama Silver." The event also featured the premiere of an image film starring model, actress, and composer Mitsuki Kimura (Kōki) and a new in-flight safety video.

"Sorayama Silver" will embark on its inaugural flight to Tokyo on July 12, piloted by Chang Kuo-wei. In the future, "Sorayama Silver" will serve routes to Phoenix, Prague, and others. Starlux Airlines will officially launch AIRSORAYAMA themed amenities starting October 1.

Speaking at the event, Chang Kuo-wei stated that it has been exactly six months since "Sorayama Silver" was first revealed in Tokyo. He noted that while many might think it's just a plane painted silver, it represents the hard work of many individuals.

Chang Kuo-wei explained that the A350-1000 has a composite fuselage, unlike older metal fuselages, making it very difficult, "basically impossible," to create a metallic appearance. The only option is to use metallic paint, but excessive use of metallic paint can affect communication and GPS performance, thus requiring a very long time.

Chang Kuo-wei pointed out that Hajime Sorayama is a master artist who adheres to his principles. Consequently, the painting process involved difficult communication among Starlux Airlines, Sorayama, and Airbus. Fortunately, the results have met expectations and look quite good.

Chang Kuo-wei mentioned that Starlux Airlines has been operating for six years. However, excluding the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the airline has effectively been in operation for only the past three years. He highlighted that Starlux Airlines has undertaken numerous innovative initiatives and special projects from scratch. He acknowledged the perception of Starlux Airlines as a public relations and advertising-driven airline, suggesting that "project-based airline" might be a more fitting description.

Chang Kuo-wei believes Starlux Airlines is a relatively new and trendy airline. To help the public move beyond conventional airline perceptions, he noted that airlines today are different from the past. Starlux Airlines aims to be a boutique airline and provide passengers with a unique experience, which is also the intention behind this art aircraft.

He recalled that in the past, Starlux Airlines had produced many special livery aircraft, including those featuring Hello Kitty, Disney, and Snoopy, which were more commercially oriented. He wanted to create something that others dared not, had not, and would not do. This concept resonated perfectly with Hajime Sorayama, and Chang Kuo-wei believes Sorayama is also very pleased.

Hajime Sorayama stated via video that this is his first involvement in such a large-scale project and his largest artwork to date. He expressed great honor in participating in this project. (Editor: Chen Ching-fang) 1150709

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