Jetstar has unveiled a massive Perth expansion, with the airline saying it will use the west as major hub for travel to Asia.
The budget arm of Qantas on Tuesday announced new Perth services to Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket from 2024 as part of a major international expansion that includes a new base for pilots in the State.
Jetstar’s services will be operated on its new fleet of Airbus A321neo LR aircraft, which will be used nationally to build out travel across South-East Asia.
Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully said the expansion was part of a long-term commitment by the airline to grow operations out of Perth, which are geographically closer to Asia compared to the Eastern States.
She added the routes would also link up with Jetstar’s Asia operations and underpin a surge in travel demand.
“This is a huge investment in our Perth operations. Having pilots and aircraft based in the west gives us the ability to add hundreds of thousands more low-cost seats to exciting new destinations across both our international and domestic network,” Ms Tully said.
“These three new routes will open up low-fares travel right across South-East Asia for our west coast customers, including easy connections via Singapore onto Jetstar Asia’s extensive network to 13 destinations throughout Asia.”
One of Jetstar’s most profitable routes is Perth to Bali and the airline is hoping that West Australians would prioritise budget travel to other parts of Asia.
Around 400,000 people took a Jetstar flight from Perth to Bali in the past year.
The new pilot base in Perth will support at least 60 pilots and four of the new A321neo LR aircraft will be based here.
Ms Tully added the move will also support more low-cost flying in WA, with the airline confirming more domestic and international routes would be announced in the coming months.
“We expect to see West Australian travel demand continue to grow as we add more flights, and we’re excited to share more details of our Perth network expansion soon,” she said.
WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the new Jetstar routes would allow Perth to be the western international hub for the nation and would support increased travel to WA from South-East Asian travellers.
“Direct flights form a really important part of our tourism strategy, as it brings more visitors into our State, injects valuable tourism dollars into our local economy and supports local jobs and businesses, so we very much welcome today’s announcement from Jetstar,” she said.
Jetstar’s other Asian business is Jetstar Japan and is a joint venture between the Qantas Group and Japan Airlines.
The frequency and times of the services are still being determined.
Jetstar last week also announced a new Sydney to Busselton service which would begin just before Easter school holidays next year.