19 March 2008

Jetstar ramps up flights

A report in The Herald Sun says that JetstarÃ¢â¬â¢s rapid growth is continuing with the carrier starting extra flights this week to Hobart, the Sunshine Coast and Cairns.

Airline chief Alan Joyce said the new services represent the next growth phase for the airline and would add 5000 seats a week to Melbourne-based operations.

By April Jetstar will be offering about 200 services a week out of Melbourne, with 80 new flights added during the past year.

Avalon-based operations will also have grown by up to 28 flights a week, Mr Joyce said.

A new and much bigger aircraft, the 210-seat Airbus A321, will operate on the Melbourne-Cairns run from May.

The first of three new aircraft is due to be delivered next month and will have to be certified by the air safety regulator before it can enter service.

From yesterday Melbourne-Hobart services have been increased from four to five a day, while Melbourne-Sunshine Coast flights have grown from twice daily to three times a day.

Cairns flights from Melbourne Airport will also grow, from a daily operation to 11 a week from today, the airline said.

An extra daily service between Melbourne and Newcastle also is scheduled from June 1, taking the number of flights to three a day.

And Melbourne-Darwin flights are set to increase to twice daily from April 17, with the new service poised to extend to Singapore, creating a daily Melbourne-Darwin-Singapore service.

Jetstar's fleet now numbers 32 French-built A320 and A330 jetliners.

The airline also has lodged long-term orders with Airbus for another 70 aircraft and awaits delivery next May of the first of 15 Boeing 787 Dreamliners.

The fleet numbers and new air routes contrast markedly with the 14 small Boeing 717 jets Jetstar had when launched three years ago.

A Report by The Mole and The Herald Sun