Jetstar adds extra planes
A report in The Dominion Post says that Jetstar will add extra aircraft to its New Zealand base in Christchurch, after experiencing stronger growth than expected when it started there 24 months ago.
Jetstar has just celebrated its second birthday on this side of the Tasman and will look at opportunities to offer longhaul flights taking in New Zealand, chief executive Alan Joyce said. Jetstar was committed to both extra trans-Tasman services and possibly starting a New Zealand domestic airline out of a pool of planes being bought by its Australian parent Qantas Airways.
Last month Qantas unveiled a group order of up to 108 aircraft including firm commitments for 68 Airbus 320 and A321 aircraft.
Separately Jetstar has already committed itself to gradually adding nine extra A320 aircraft to its existing 23-strong A320 fleet between December and March 2009. It is introducing a new fleet of 15 Boeing 787 aircraft during 2009.
“In the last two weeks the Qantas board confirmed an additional 68 aircraft for Jetstar. That will take us to more than 100 aircraft with options for another 40, and we will be targeting some of that additional capacity for the Tasman,” Mr Joyce said.
“We are still keen on looking at domestic New Zealand … within the next couple of years we should be seeing growth on the trans-Tasman and potential entry into the New Zealand domestic market.”
This month Sir Richard Branson’s Pacific Blue started a domestic service in the face of services by Air New Zealand and Qantas New Zealand. But Mr Joyce said the intense competition made no difference to Jetstar, which still saw room to expand the overall market.
The plan on where to put additional aircraft from mid-2008 was still to be decided and Jetstar was not giving details on New Zealand expansion at this stage. Jetstar also planned to open new Australian bases in Darwin and Perth in the next two years.
The New Zealand operation would be helped by Jetstar’s overall growth both in terms of revenues – now about $1.6 billion a year – and seat numbers offered for its destinations that also reach into Asia.
A Report by The Mole from The Dominion Post
John Alwyn-Jones
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