Starlux Airlines will launch a special livery Airbus A350-1000 aircraft, named “AIRSORAYAMA,” in collaboration with Japanese illustrator Hajime Sorayama starting in the second half of this year.
The special livery will be applied to two aircraft: the third aircraft to be delivered within this year (registration: B-58553) and the fourth (registration: B-58554). Sorayama’s original artwork “Sexy Robot” has been fused with the aircraft design. The third aircraft will be finished entirely in silver as “AIRSORAYAMA SILVER,” and the fourth aircraft will feature a gold scheme as “AIRSORAYAMA GOLD.”
At a press conference held in Tokyo, Starlux Airlines Chairman Chang Kuo-wei explained the background of the collaboration, saying, “One of the brand images of Starlux Airlines is a sense of futurism. Mr. Sorayama’s works combine futurism with a metallic texture, and we strongly resonated with that worldview.”
The project was launched three years ago and was realized through repeated discussions and testing with Sorayama and the Airbus team. Looking back, Chairman Chang said, “The biggest challenge was the colors.” Under the constraints of aircraft painting such as lightning protection regulations, the team struggled with how to reproduce on a carbon fiber composite airframe the cold, smooth, liquid-metal texture that Sorayama depicts. After more than a dozen tests on color tones and textures, they succeeded in expressing the world of his artwork on the aircraft surface by combining high-concentration special mica pigments with multi-layer coating techniques.
Sorayama commented, “There are a lot of ‘Sorayama colors’ expressed in the cabin as well, so I hope people really enjoy it. It might be a bit dazzling, but please look forward to it.” The collaboration will also be rolled out to inflight amenities, the safety video, and original merchandise.
Starlux Airlines has ordered a total of 18 Airbus A350-1000 aircraft. The first aircraft (B-58551) was delivered in Toulouse, France, on January 5 local time, and will be deployed on the Tokyo/Narita – Taipei/Taoyuan route from February 10. The airline plans to take delivery of up to the sixth aircraft within this year, and aircraft from the second onwards are also scheduled to be deployed on North American routes. The cabin configuration will have a total of 350 seats: 4 in First Class, 40 in Business Class, 36 in Premium Economy Class, and 270 in Economy Class.
Notice
This article was generated using automatic translation by GPT-4 API. The translation may not be accurate.
![[Feature] JAL’s New International Airbus A350-1000: A Closer Look at the Premium Economy Class with Spacious Seating](https://www.traicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/DSC_9965.jpeg "[Feature] JAL’s New International Airbus A350-1000: A Closer Look at the Premium Economy Class with Spacious Seating")
