Jetstar expands WA presence with new Perth base and three new South East Asian routes
Travel to one of Australia’s most popular overseas regions is set to speed up as Jetstar announces the opening of several new routes next year.
The budget airline will launch direct flights between Perth and Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket in late 2024. The airline’s chief executive described this as one of Jetstar’s “most significant network expansions” in recent times.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Jetstar announces three new routes from Perth to Southeast Asia.
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Southeast Asia was the most popular region for Australians taking an international getaway last year, with local tourists bringing more than $4.5 billion into the local economy.
Bali once again enjoyed great popularity, with more than 400,000 customers flying to the island of the gods with Jetstar.
Countries in Southeast Asia have taken notice, with Australia considered a “top destination” among tourism marketers due to its proximity and travelers’ spending habits.
The return flights back to Perth are also expected to provide a major boost to Western Australia’s economy.
More than 83,000 travelers came from Singapore last financial year, making the city-state WA the second largest market for inbound visitors.
“We are delighted that Jetstar is investing in Perth with these three new direct flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket, creating even more opportunities for South East Asian travelers to visit our beautiful state,” WA Tourism Minister Rita Saffioti said.
Jetstar has also announced that it is expanding its presence in Western Australia by opening a new base in Perth, which will house more than 60 pilots and four aircraft, including its newest aircraft – the Airbus A321neo LR.
The additional routes expand the airline’s Asia network to 13 destinations, with more to be announced in the coming months.
“This is a huge investment in our Perth operations,” said Jetstar managing director Stephanie Tully.
“Having pilots and aircraft in the West means we can add hundreds of thousands more affordable seats to exciting new destinations across our international and domestic network.
“We expect travel demand to Western Australia to continue to increase as we add more flights and look forward to announcing further details on our Perth network expansion soon.”
Visitor spending increased by $17 billion in the 2022/23 financial year and Saffioti said Jetstar’s announcement “shows how popular and lucrative” the WA tourism sector is.
“I’m excited to see what additional routes come online once Jetstar’s base in Perth is operational,” she said.
“Direct flights are a really important part of our tourism strategy as they bring more visitors to our state, inject valuable tourism dollars into our local economy and of course support local jobs and businesses.”
The announcement came as budget airline VietJet’s first direct flight from Ho Chi Minh City prepared to land at Perth Airport.
The airline will operate five return flights each week, connecting Ho Chi Minh City with Perth and Adelaide.
It also follows news last month that Vietnamese airline Bamboo Airways canceled international flights, causing chaos for travelers in Sydney and Melbourne, where the flights no longer operate.
