STARLUX A350 go‑around
A STARLUX Airbus A350 executed a clean go‑around at LAX on April 9, and the maneuver was captured live from the H Hotel rooftop — a neat example of how aviation moments get shared in real time. (x.com) For travelers and spotters, these clips are useful reminders that approach decisions happen quickly and are routine safety actions, not necessarily a sign of an incident. (x.com)
A jet can be seconds from touchdown and still climb away on purpose. That is what happened when a STARLUX Airlines Airbus A350 approached Los Angeles International Airport on April 9 and then powered up for another circuit instead of landing. (faa.gov) The move is called a go-around, and the Federal Aviation Administration says it is a safe, routine maneuver that either the pilots or air traffic control can initiate. The point is simple: stop the landing attempt, regain a safe climb, and set up for another approach. (faa.gov) From the ground, a go-around looks dramatic because a widebody airliner is low, configured for landing, and then suddenly adds thrust and pitches up. In the cockpit, it is a trained procedure with preset steps, published flight paths, and no assumption that anything has gone wrong. (faa.gov) (flysea.org) The usual triggers are mundane: an unstable approach, a runway that is not clear, a landing clearance that is delayed or canceled, or spacing that no longer works. The Seattle airport roundtable briefing on missed approaches says those are normal reasons controllers or crews send an aircraft around. (flysea.org) The airplane in this case was an Airbus A350-900, STARLUX’s long-haul flagship before the airline added the larger Airbus A350-1000 in early 2026. Airbus says STARLUX’s fleet is all-Airbus, and the carrier’s own fleet page shows the A350-900 as its premium long-range type. (airbus.com) (starlux-airlines.com) Los Angeles is a regular STARLUX station, not a one-off charter stop. STARLUX’s booking site shows nonstop service between Los Angeles and Taipei, the route the airline launched in April 2023 with the Airbus A350-900. (starlux-airlines.com) (aerotime.aero) The clip spread because Los Angeles is one of the easiest big airports in the world for plane spotters to watch in real time. Airline Videos Live advertises continuous views from the H Hotel rooftop aimed at runways 25 Left and 25 Right on the south side of Los Angeles International Airport. (youtube.com) Those runway numbers are not random labels. Los Angeles International Airport’s official airfield guide says the south complex uses runways 7 Left and 25 Right plus 7 Right and 25 Left, with the “25” direction used when traffic lands from the east toward the west. (flylax.com) That is why rooftop videos can make a routine safety choice look like a spectacle. A camera near the threshold compresses distance, so an Airbus A350 at low altitude looks committed to the landing even though a go-around remains available until the crew decides the approach is no longer right. (faa.gov) The useful takeaway is not that something “almost happened,” but that the system worked exactly as designed on April 9. The Federal Aviation Administration’s own explainer says the pilot and controller stay in full command during a go-around, which is why aviation treats the maneuver as a normal part of safe operations. (faa.gov)
