Western Australians will have more options to fly to Southeast Asia from this week, with Jetstar commencing a new service between Perth and Bangkok.
From 6 September 2024, Jetstar will operate a four-times-weekly service between the WA and Thai capitals, with travellers able to then connect to Jetstar Asia’s network of 17 destinations.
Jetstar says the new flights form part of the single biggest expansion of its WA operations following the August launch of new services between Perth and Singapore and Perth and Phuket.
In a further boost, JQ will double its Perth-Singapore flights from three to six weekly from 3 September.
In total, the three new services add more than 300,000 seats a year between WA and Southeast Asia.
Earlier this year, Jetstar also kicked off a new Sydney-Busselton Margaret River service, while Jetstar Asia began flying between Singapore and Broome.
Terminal move
Meanwhile, all Jetstar flights in Perth will now arrive and depart at Airport Central, with domestic flights moving to Terminal 2.
The airline says the move will make it easier for customers to connect between domestic and international flights, which also fly out of T2.
In addition, the low-cost carrier has opened a new plane and pilot base in Perth, which will be home to 60 pilots and four new Airbus A321neo LR aircraft. This is part of the carrier’s plan to add 38 new planes by 2029.
Western growth
Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully said Western Australia boasted plenty of opportunities for the airline.
“Strong demand continues for low fares flying and we’ll offer more than 300,000 new low fares seats a year with these new flights between Perth and Singapore, Phuket and Bangkok,” she remarked.
“Last year we flew more than 370,000 customers between Perth and Bali, so we know West Australians can’t get enough of Asia, and we’re confident these new flights will be just as popular.”
Perth Airport CEO Jason Waters lauded Jetstar’s commitment to WA “through its investment in new aircraft and the WA pilot base”.
“These commitments will create more local jobs and deliver enormous benefits to the tourism and trade opportunities,” he noted.
“Jetstar’s domestic operations have now also relocated to T2 which is next to T1 International – making it easier for Jetstar passengers to seamlessly transit between domestic and international operations.
“We look forward to working with the Jetstar team in making these routes successful.”
Meanwhile, WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said the state predicted a lift in tourism thanks to the new links.
“These new non-stop services from across South East Asia to Perth will provide a significant boost for Western Australia’s tourism industry by driving inbound visitation and strengthening Perth’s reputation as the western gateway to Australia,” she stated.
“We expect to see not only an increase in travellers arriving from these countries directly, but critically, more inbound traffic from markets with massive growth potential across Asia.
“Our collaboration with Jetstar underscores our commitment to growing Western Australia’s aviation sector and attracting more international visitors, providing more opportunities for travellers and supporting diversification of the WA economy.
“We also really welcome the expansion of Jetstar’s operations which is supporting up to 60 pilots and is another huge vote of confidence in the western gateway.”
To mark the new Asian flights, JQ is offering discounted fares from midday (AWST) today, including:
- Perth to Singapore from $159
- Perth to Phuket from $229
- Perth to Bangkok from $199
- Broome to Singapore from $139
- Sydney to Busselton Margaret River from $169
Elsewhere, Jetstar launched the first-ever non-stop flights between South Australia and the Whitsundays on Sunday, linking one of Australia’s favourite holiday regions with Adelaide.
