STARLUX Cargo Builds Air Freight Business around Cornerstone of CEIV Certification

James Chiou

Chief Cargo Commercial Officer 

Starlux Cargo

Known for its strong performance in belly cargo operations with passenger aircraft, STARLUX Airlines is steadily expanding its cargo business to meet the growing demand for air imports and exports. The airline's future plans include the delivery of ten A350F freighters by 2028. STARLUX is committed to broadening its cargo network and continually enhancing its operations and technology to offer customers diversified transportation services that are reliable, efficient, and safe. 

Challenge – How to establish a value-added air cargo operation focused on service excellence

Since our launch in 2020, STARLUX has provided cargo services alongside passenger operations. In 2024, we officially established a dedicated cargo structure and began our CEIV certification journey. 

From the very beginning, we had a clear vision for STARLUX Cargo — not merely transporting goods, but becoming a service-driven partner that helps our customers succeed. This means being able to respond swiftly to real customer needs, including speed, safety, and special handling, and ensuring that every shipment is managed with the precision and care it deserves. 

To turn this vision into a reality, at the launch of operations we ordered ten A350 freighters to be delivered in 2028. This will enable us to expand beyond passenger belly operations and provide dedicated long-haul freighter capacity, especially on the trans-Pacific and Asia–Europe lanes. We will be able to transport oversized and non-standard shipments such as aerospace parts, industrial equipment, luxury vehicles, temperature-sensitive goods, and even live animals. 

However, to meet our goals of offering a full suite of specialized products and being recognized as areliable, efficient, and customer-oriented cargo carrier, we needed to put every effort into structuring our operations for the highest quality results in time for that aircraft delivery.

As a newcomer to the air cargo industry, our biggest challenge has been to establish trust and convince global shippers we can handle their cargo and meet the strictest requirements. IATA certification would certainly demonstrate that. As we investigated further, however, we saw that CEIV would also help us align all our departments at once, and shift our quality culture to the highest level.We therefore decided to pursue all four CEIV certifications—for pharmaceuticals, fresh food, lithium batteries, and live animals—at the same time. Although this was a challenging undertaking, we knew that, within just over a year, we would be equipped to safely and effectively handle shipments of temperature- and timesensitive goods, dangerous goods, and animals, as well as more standard cargo.

IATA CEIV Certification – Outstanding expert mentorship and guidance leading to rapid integration of practices

We initiated CEIV Pharma in March 2024, followed closely by CEIV Fresh and CEIV Li-batt in May and, finally, CEIV Live Animals in October. Each process involved initial audits, training, action plans and rigorous final assessments, and led to our first certification, for the safe handling of lithium batteries, in November 2024. In early 2025, our processes for handling time- and temperature-sensitive fresh food and pharmaceuticals were validated. In July of the same year, our contingency readiness and humane handling of live animals were recognized with the final certification.

Throughout the process, the greatest challenge was to synchronize all the different departments. The timelines were tight, with frequent gap analyses, corrective actions and third-party validations. We couldn’t afford any delay so everyone had to be committed and actively engaged, in each of the Operations, Safety, Quality, Training, Planning, IT, Procurement, Warehousing and Ground Operations teams.

And that’s where the IATA consultants proved invaluable. Their expertise was truly outstanding, and they acted as mentors and partners, not just auditors, able to pinpoint areas for improvement with precision, while providing practical and actionable advice. 

Through their training and courses, we gained precious knowledge across key areas, such as Critical Control Points (CCPs), Quality Management Systems (QMS), risk assessments, and Corrective and Preventive Actions (CAPA). They transformed complex international standards into clear and accessible practices that we could quickly absorb and embed into our daily operations. And the continuous dialogue, technical guidance, and operational validation they provided gave real depth to the process

Results – Enhanced credibility and a culture of continuously improving quality and accountability

With certifications in the safe and secure handling of pharmaceuticals, fresh food, lithium batteries, and live animals, STARLUX is among the very few airlines worldwide with such capabilities. This achievement has earned us immediate recognition and trust from customers, and enhanced our visibility and credibility in the international market. It also symbolizes Taiwan’s ability to play an even more influential role in the global air cargo landscape. 

For us, CEIV is a long-term investment. It helps demonstrate to shippers and forwarders that STARLUX Cargo is fully able to handle sensitive products to the highest global standards, and reassures them in terms of safety assurance, compliance, and trust. Even before we bring in our freighters in 2028, this recognition already gives customers the confidence to choose STARLUX as their reliable partner. 

Above all, the CEIV certifications are the foundation of STARLUX Cargo, and have strengthened our organizational cohesion and execution, and reinforced our determination to operate at world-class standards. We now have a culture where quality, accountability, and global readiness are integral parts of daily operations. The process was demanding, but enabled us to align all departments at once, and the culture shift happened immediately. Through the process, we restructured workflows, clarified responsibilities, and established multiple systems. These include a real-time temperature deviation tracking and reporting system, cross-departmental risk assessment routines at critical control points, and regular warehouse drills embedded into operations. We also established a shared language internally so that operations, training, and procurement work toward the same benchmark.

These measures have made our operations more transparent and predictable, which is the best measure of progress. Additionally, once the certifications were underway, we gradually expanded our team, especially in quality, training, and documentation. And all these new people gained structured training in line with CEIV standards, enabling us to continue to elevate the professionalism of our teams and our culture of quality and accountability as we move forward. 

This transformation is not only internal. Our Ground Handling Partners are now more than service providers—they are partners working to the same standards. We have moved beyond a transactional relationship, to share KPIs, conduct joint training, and face audits together, extending accountability throughout the supply chain.

CEIV certification is just the beginning 

CEIV is not just a badge—it forces an organization to build a system that lasts. For new carriers like STARLUX, it shortens the learning curve and connects us directly to global best practices. That’s why we would recommend it without hesitation. Working side by side with the exceptional team at IATA has been an invaluable experience for us. We did not simply “obtain certifications”, we achieved something remarkable together.

This sense of shared accomplishment motivates us to continue working with IATA to further strengthen our special cargo capabilities and help raise safety and quality benchmarks across the global air cargo industry. Ultimately, our goal is not only to comply with international standards, but to consistently exceed them, to be a trusted and forward-looking partner in global air cargo. This means we will conduct training and audits, and use digital monitoring tools to make sure our entire network has the same level of excellence. We also intend to contribute by co-developing solutions, that address evolving regulatory and quality expectations, with shippers and forwarders in pharmaceuticals, fresh products, lithium batteries and live animals. 

IATA Certifications

IATA certifications provide a structured framework for organizations that aim to strengthen operational integrity and demonstrate global credibility. These programs are designed to embed internationally recognized standards into processes, improve safety and efficiency, and support sustainable growth.

Explore IATA’s certification portfolio to understand how these standards can elevate your organization’s readiness and reputation in the global market.