Australian low-fare carrier Jetstar is wasting no time sending its growing fleet of new Airbus A321LRs to destinations near and far. The latest news is that the long-range narrowbodies will be tracing a new route over the South Pacific to Fiji, starting just in time for the peak Christmas and summer holiday season down under.
On Tuesday, Jetstar announced it is starting direct flights between Melbourne and Fiji from December 16th, subject to gaining the necessary government approval. This comes hot on the heels of last week’s inaugural flight between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands, marking the first time an Australian airline had served the route in more than 30 years.
Find flights from Melbourne to Fiji here
Another route enabled by the A321LR
As with the Sydney Airport to Rarotonga route, the new service from Melbourne will be operated with an Airbus A321LR, one of eight currently in Jetstar’s fleet. Keeping track of the A321neos is a little tricky as a new one is arriving, on average, every month, which is why we are seeing these new routes launched. The next one is expected in July, and all 18 will be in Jetstar’s hands by the end of 2024.
Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying.
Jetstar chief customer officer Alan McIntyre said Melburnians can now access low-fares and a non-stop flight to Fiji. He added:
“Fiji is a hugely popular destination for Australians, and with interest continuing to grow, we’re offering more than 70,000 great low fare seats each year between Melbourne and Fiji. Since relaunching our Sydney to Fiji services, we’ve seen strong demand from Melbourne travelers, and from December they will be able to fly direct.”
Changes to the Sydney – Fiji route
Jetstar is already flying between Sydney Airport (SYD) and Fiji’s Nadi International Airport (NAN) using an Airbus A320-200, although that service will switch to the A321LR from October 29th. The extra fuel capacity of the A321LR extends its range, and using the new aircraft adds an extra 46 seats over the A320 used on the Sydney-Nadi service.
Yesterday, flight JQ119 departed Sydney at 10:14 and, after a 3:34 hour flight, landed in Fiji at 15:48. The aircraft used was an A320-200, registered VH-VGA and MSN 4899, which left Fiji at 17:35 and arrived in Sydney at 20:19.
Melbourne Airport (MEL) is obviously happy about the new service, and Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said that since international borders had reopened travel to tropical destinations like Fiji is at an all-time high.
“Melbourne is Australia’s largest city by population, and we’re glad to see Jetstar recognise our strong outbound demand by adding more capacity. Many Victorians are seeking a warmer climate and cultural experiences with short travel times, and now thanks to Jetstar’s low fares there’s even more reason to travel to the South Pacific Islands.”
Photo: Jetstar
The new service will be the first time a low-cost carrier has operated direct flights between Melbourne and Fiji, and it will be operated three times weekly. The flight will depart MEL on Monday, Thursday and Saturday at 06:15 and arrive in Fiji at 12:15, with the return leaving NAN at 13:15 and landing in Melbourne at 17:50.
Jetstar will operate the Sydney flights on Tuesday, Friday and Sunday to complement the Melbourne service and give connecting passengers more choices. Using the A321LR, flight JQ119 will depart at 09:45 and land at NAN at 14:55, depart again at 16:00 and arrive in Sydney at 19:50.
Have you flown on Jetstar’s A321LR? Let us know in the comments.