Marking the “biggest injection of low fare seats” Queensland has ever seen, Jetstar has announced a raft of new routes and flights out of Brisbane.
After signing a major new deal with Brisbane Airport, Jetstar will launch an extra half a million seats from BNE to international destinations including Tokyo (Narita), Osaka, and Seoul.
Under the agreement, which will see BNE provide services to complement JQ’s low-cost structure, Jetstar will also add frequency to existing services between Brisbane and Bali and Brisbane and Auckland.
In summary, the new and extra flights include:
To Japan (for 380,000-plus yearly seats)
-From 31 October 2023, Jetstar will offer five-times-weekly flights between BNE and Tokyo (Narita), with daily flights coming from 3 December 2023. Effective 29 October 2023, JQ will cease operations between the Gold Coast and Tokyo (Narita) to facilitate the new service.
-From 2 February 2024, it will also commence four return services a week between BNE and Osaka (Kansai).
To South Korea (for 100,000-plus yearly seats)
-From 1 February 2024, JQ will fly three return flights a week between BNE & Seoul (Incheon).
To New Zealand (adding 90,000-plus yearly seats)
-From 29 October 2023, Jetstar will upgrade BNE-Auckland services from four flights per week to daily, with the airline’s new A321neo LR (NEO) flying the route from 1 February 2024.
To Bali
-From 1 February 2024, Jetstar will increase BNE-Bali (Denpasar) flights from seven to 10 return services a week, also using the NEO.
The new Osaka, Seoul and Auckland capacity is supported by Queensland’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), aimed to stimulate the state’s visitor economy.
Two-way tourism
Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said the new flights have “unlocked about half a million new seats between Brisbane and some of the most popular international destinations on our network”.
“Jetstar has a strong track record of stimulating travel through great value fares and this major boost to international flying for Queensland will bring thousands more tourists into the sunshine state from Japan, South Korea and across the Tasman,” she said.
“These new services also mean Queenslanders can take off more often to more destinations with our everyday low fares.
“We thank Brisbane Airport and the Queensland Government for their support of the Osaka, Seoul and Auckland services through the Attracting Aviation Investment Fund which is accelerating the return of overseas tourists.”
Meanwhile, Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff called the expansion “the biggest injection of low fare seats for Queenslanders, and visitors from our most popular markets, that we have ever seen”.
“We look forward to welcoming more travellers from New Zealand, Japan and Seoul enabling them to get out and explore our region and state,” he stated.
“We are also excited to see Jetstar deploying the new quieter and fuel-efficient Airbus A321neo on these new BNE flights.
“Brisbane Airport is committed to reducing the noise impact for our nearby communities and we know that next-generation aircraft are an important part of this solution.”
Last month, the carrier changed check-in and bag drop times for its international flights.
Its parent company, the Qantas Group, also announced it would introduce a new boarding process, bag tracking, and offer new routes.
Jetstar and Qantas also recently updated their uniform policy to embrace a more gender-inclusive approach to outfit and grooming guidelines.
