More international airlines are waking up to the opportunities of Australia’s West Coast, the home of Qantas nonstop ultra-long-haul flights to London, Paris and Rome. Low-cost carrier Jetstar is also growing in Western Australia, with today’s opening of its new aircraft and pilot base at Perth Airport and the addition of a third new service between Perth and Asia.
Jetstar’s third Asian route
Qantas Group low-cost airline Jetstar has announced its single-largest expansion in its operations in Perth, the capital city of Western Australia. This week, it is launching flights to Bangkok, its third new Asian destination from Perth, which follows the August launch of nonstop flights to Singapore and Phuket.
Photo: Jetstar
The new route commences on Friday, September 6, 2024, and will run up to four times weekly between Perth Airport and Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK). It will be operated with an Airbus A321LR that will depart Perth on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays at 14:55 and arrive in Bangkok at 20:30.
The return service operates on the same days, leaving BKK at 21:40 and arriving in Perth the following day at 05:20. The addition of the Bangkok flights means that Jetstar will be creating more than 300,000 new low-fare seats each year between Perth Airport (PER) and Asia, giving Western Australians more travel options and bringing thousands of tourists into the state.
Photo: Jetstar
The Jetstar flight to Singapore gives passengers seamless connections to Jetstar Asia’s network of 17 destinations, including Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Okinawa (Japan). The additional flights from Perth follow the successful launch of flights between Sydney Airport (SYD) and Margaret River earlier this year and the Jetstar Asia services between Singapore Changi Airport (SIN) and Broome.
New pilot and A321LR aircraft base
Today, Jetstar officially opened a new base in Perth for up to 60 pilots and four of its newest Airbus A321LR narrowbody jets. The base is there to support these new flights and potential new growth out of Western Australia, with Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully noting that after 20 years of flying in Australia, the airline is looking west for future growth opportunities.
“Last year, we flew more than 370,000 customers between Perth and Bali, so we know West Australians can’t get enough of Asia. Initially basing up to 60 pilots and four aircraft in Perth will allow us to continue to expand our network out of the West in coming years, providing more choice for Western Australians and boosting the state’s tourism economy.”
Photo: Michael Doran I Simple Flying.
The Perth-based aircraft are part of a pipeline of 38 new A321LRs and A321XLRs set to join Jetstar’s fleet by 2029. Jetstar has progressively been adding A321LRs and now has 15 in its fleet, operating a mix of domestic and short-haul international flights, including to Bali, Singapore, Fiji and the Cook Islands.
Jetstar has also moved its domestic services from Perth Airport’s Terminal 3 to Terminal 2, next to Terminal 1, where its international services operate. The move allows customers to walk between Jetstar’s domestic and international services rather than taking a shuttle bus between the terminal precincts.
The move to Terminal 2 will facilitate a quicker and more convenient connecting process and give passengers direct connections to central Perth via the underground airport train station. Jetstar operates flights from Perth to Singapore on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday; to Phuket on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday; and twice daily to Singapore on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, with morning and late evening flights.