STARLUX Airlines has confirmed that it will launch flights to Prague, Czechia, entering a market that has yet to return to its pre-pandemic highs. The Taiwanese airline will initially offer thrice-weekly departures to the Czech capital.
STARLUX Airlines entering Europe
The carrier has yet to offer more details about the new route, and only shared a teaser on social media that it has started the countdown to ticket sales on flights between Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) and Prague Václav Havel Airport (PRG).
However, PRG shared that flights will begin on August 1, with an initial thrice-weekly frequency service. From October, the number of weekly departures will grow to four.
PRG highlighted that this will be STARLUX Airlines’ first European destination.
The Taiwanese airline, which began flying in 2020, has not operated any routes from TPE to Europe. Instead, it has expanded throughout Asia and also launched a handful of routes to the United States.
When it welcomed its first A350-1000 in early January, the airline said that the larger A350 would be used on “North American and European routes, becoming STARLUX Airlines' main aircraft for expanding its long-haul markets in the United States and Europe.”
Rytis Beresnevicius
Visitors from East Asia to Czechia still down vs 2019
Cirium’s Diio Mi data shows that PRG was a popular European destination for travellers from East Asia prior to the pandemic, with five airlines, China Eastern Airlines, Czech Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Korean Air, and Sichuan Airlines offering direct connections between the region and the Czech capital.
However, in 2026, total flights from East Asia to PRG are down 28.7% compared to 2019, with now only four carriers offering direct services: Asiana Airlines, China Airlines, Hainan Airlines, and Korean Air.
Lower capacity between East Asia and the city has resulted in a drop in the number of arrivals in Czechia, CzechTourism data showed. Visitor numbers from Taiwan to Czechia in the first nine months of 2025 were down 17% compared to the same period in 2019. Meanwhile, in the same period, visitors from China and South Korea were down 73% and 33%, respectively, compared to 2019.
According to Cirium’s Diio Mi, China Airlines will fly twice-weekly from TPE to PRG between January and March, growing to thrice-weekly services with the start of the summer 2026 season and continuing until the end of the year.
China Airlines began flying to PRG in July 2023.
