The company was registered in 2016 with the Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs.[3] This was confirmed by Chang Kuo-wei on 30 November 2016, who was formerly the chairman of Taiwanese airline EVA Air.[4] The airline registered with the Taiwanese Civil Aeronautics Administration in the first half of 2017,[5] and it was planned, in late 2016, that the airline would commence operations in 2018.[6] The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs received the formal application for establishing the airline under the name Starlux Airlines on 22 May 2017.[7] In an interview in 2017, the airline was expected to start operations by the end of 2019,[8] though in January 2019, Chang stated that Starlux Airlines would launch in January 2020.[9]