With Asia’s major carriers, such as Singapore Airlines, Korean Air and Vietnam Airlines, recovering quickly, low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia is also adding more capacity. Last week the airline announced it would increase services to Bangkok and Manilla from its Singapore base.
Jetstar Asia is part of the Jetstar Group, which includes Jetstar Airways in Australia and New Zealand, Jetstar Asia Airways and Jetstar Japan. Jetstar Asia is based in Singapore and managed by Newstar Holdings, majority owned by Singapore company Westbrook Investments (51%), with Qantas Group holding the remaining 49%. Jetstar Japan is a partnership between the Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation.
Will the A321LR find its way into Jetstar Asia?
Jetstar’s first Airbus A321LR is about to enter service, with 17 more to follow by mid-2024. Photo: Airbus.
At the end of July, Jetstar Airways welcomed its first Airbus A321LR, with 17 more to be delivered by mid-2024. The airline also has 20 A321XLRs on order, which it expects to receive between 2024 and 2029. The extended range of the A321XLRs will bring cities such as Singapore, Bangkok, Manila and Hong Kong within reach of Melbourne and Sydney. This will potentially open up new markets for Jetstar Asia, both within Asia and beyond, where the economics of the new generation aircraft will keep costs and fares down.
Jetstar Asia’s (Jetstar) base is at Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and, according to ch-aviation.com, has a fleet of seven Airbus A320-200s. It operates more than 200 flights a week to twelve destinations across Southeast Asia. From August 1, Jetstar added two additional morning services from Singapore, on Sunday and Monday, to the Philippines capital of Manila. The flights will operate from Terminal 1 at Manila Airport (MNL) and bring Jetstar’s Singapore-Manila services to 13 per week, with one-way fares starting from SG$138 ($99). Jetstar Asia’s regional sales manager for southeast Asia, Woo Wai Keong, said it was encouraging to see air travel demand recover as consumer confidence is restored.
“In July, Jetstar Asia’s load factor averaged over 90% meaning we are welcoming more passengers onboard our flights and are making the world more accessible for our customers again. By restoring and growing our short-haul network, we’re helping reconnect families and friends, giving our customers more opportunities to take a well-deserved break, while helping rebuild economies of the communities we fly to.”
Making transfers easier for codeshare passengers
Last Saturday, Jetstar started operating an extra Saturday morning service between Singapore and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). Jetstar now operates eight return services weekly to Bangkok, with one-way fares starting at SG$96 ($69). The airline said the extra service would facilitate smooth transfers in Bangkok for codeshare passengers traveling with Qantas, Emirates, Srilankan Air and Finnair.
Jetstar Asia is using its fleet of Airbus A320s to increase services from Singapore to Bangkok and Manila. Photo: Jetstar
From August 19, codeshare transfers from those partner airlines will also be more accessible at Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City Airport (SIN). Jetstar is retiming two services between Singapore and Ho Chi Minh City to depart on Friday and Sunday evenings instead of Wednesday and Sunday mornings. The flights will depart Singapore at 20:15, with the 2:05 hour flight arriving in Ho Chi Minh City at 21:20. After a quick turnaround, the Airbus A320 will leave SGN at 22:00 and arrive in Singapore at 01:00 the following day. Low fares are part of Jetstar’s DNA, so a one-way flight between SIN-SGN starts as low as SG$73 ($52.50).
Are LCCs, like Jetstar Asia, enjoying a strong rebound in Southeast Asia?