Star Flyer
Japan · STARFLYER · Active
Airline Identity
History
StarFlyer was founded on 17 December 2002 as Kobe Airlines by Takaaki Hori, a former Japan Airlines technician, and Yasushi Muto, a former All Nippon Airways executive, and was renamed StarFlyer in May 2003. The carrier relocated its base from Kobe to Kitakyushu at the end of 2003 and began commercial flights on 16 March 2006, timed to the opening of New Kitakyushu Airport, later completing an IPO on the Tokyo Stock Exchange in December 2011. It positioned itself as a hybrid carrier offering full-service touches — leather seats, complimentary drinks and headphones, mood lighting — at costs closer to a low-cost carrier.
Current Operations
StarFlyer operates an all-Airbus fleet of A320-200s and A320neos from dual bases at Kitakyushu Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport, flying domestic Japanese routes plus a small number of international services, with additional A320neos being leased from ANA Holdings starting in 2026 to modernize its fleet. It maintains codeshare agreements with All Nippon Airways and Solaseed Air, and ANA Holdings remains its largest single shareholder with roughly an 18% stake; StarFlyer is not a member of any of the three global alliances.
Last verified 2026-09-03· Source: airline public disclosures, company press releases & aviation-industry reporting.