Jetstar will restart its popular Gold Coast (OOL) – Tokyo Narita (NRT) service in early August after securing assistance from the Queensland Government’s AU$200 million Attracting Aviation Investment Fund. Using Boeing 787-8 aircraft, Jetstar now has tickets on sale for three-times-a-week flights that commence on August 2.
Three times a week Jetstar OOL – NRT flights from August 2
The news comes hot on the heels of Jetstar restarting flights between the northern Queensland city of Cairns (CNS) and Tokyo Narita last week. The Queensland Government says the resuming OOL – NRT service is the fourth Attracting Aviation Investment Fund-backed international service starting or resuming out of Queensland’s airports this year. Air Canada’s Vancouver – Brisbane service, United’s San Francisco – Brisbane service, and Scoot’s Singapore – Gold Coast service all got the go-ahead owing to this investment fund.
Beginning Tuesday, August 2, JQ11 will depart OOL at 10:35 every Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday for the nine-hour and ten-minute flight up to Narita, landing there at 18:45. After just over two hours on the apron, the Dreamliner will close its doors at 21:00 to operate JQ12 back to the Gold Coast. Flying time south is slightly shorter at eight hours and 40 minutes, with the flight landing at 06:40 the next day.
Jetstar will use its Boeing 787-8 aircraft (pictured) on the Gold Coast – Tokyo Narita route. Photo: Jetstar
Flight opens up a couple of domestic sectors operated by a Boeing 787-8
Should it tickle your fancy, this service also offers a couple of domestic tag sectors, allowing passengers to enjoy some relatively rare widebody comfort on Australian domestic flights. JQ11 starts in Sydney (SYD) on Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday mornings. The flight departs that airport’s international terminal at 07:45 for the one hour and 20-minute hop up to the Gold Coast.
These cheap and cheerful domestic sectors out of Sydney’s international terminal are popular among a certain clique of Qantas and oneworld frequent flyers because breakfast in the highly-regarded Sydney Qantas First lounge is available before the flight.
The second domestic leg available is Gold Coast – Cairns (CNS). After the Jetstar Dreamliner completes the Narita – Gold Coast leg, it jumps up to Cairns to operate a Japan-bound service out of that city later that morning. Every Wednesday, Friday, and Monday, JQ15 will leave OOL at 08:30 for the two-hour and 20-minute flight north to Cairns, landing there at 10:50. It’s not every day a widebody aircraft gets scheduled onto the OOL – CNS route. Indeed, Simple Flying is pretty sure this could be a first.
A Jetstar Airbus departing Gold Coast Airport. Photo: Gold Coast Airport
Jetstar and the Gold Coast are keen to tap pent-up Japanese travel demand
Of course, there is no Qantas First lounge at OOL, but it remains a viable alternative to the narrowbody jets Jetstar otherwise schedules onto the route. Jetstar formerly flew to Japan out of the Gold Coast but ceased services in March 2020 due to COVID-19. The airline joins Scoot and Air New Zealand in returning OOL onto their international network maps.
“Japan was our third-largest international market prior to the pandemic and what’s more, was growing in visitation, nights and spend,” said Destination Gold Coast CEO Patricia O’Callaghan. “We anticipate a welcome injection of visitors as a result of these flights.”
While independent tourists from Australia still cannot easily visit Japan, that should soon change, and Japanese citizens are free to come and go from Australia. Jetstar is betting there’s enough pent-up travel demand out of Japan to sustain these flights initially – and of course, the unspecified “assistance” from the Queensland Government’s war chest also helps.
“We’re already seeing a lot of pent-up demand from Japanese travelers eager to visit Australia,” said Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans. “Australia has always been a popular destination for Japanese travelers, and we’re excited to be able to reconnect the two countries, providing a significant tourism boost to Queensland.”