Australia’s Jetstar plans big expansion in domestic flights, extra services on Phuket-Singapore, Phuket-Sydney routes

Jetstar Airways, the low-cost airline based in Melbourne, Australia, has announced that it will add as many as 700,000 domestic seats as well as 77 new return flights in the first half of 2010, as the airline is embarking on one of its biggest expansions since its inception in 2004.

In another development, Jetstar Airways announced additional, double-daily flight between Phuket (in Thailand) and Singapore from December 15, 2009.

From the same date – December 15, 2009 – the airline will increase the number of its flights between Phuket and Sydney from 3 times a week to 5 times a week

Bruce Buchanan, chief executive of Jetstar Airways, said in a statement that the company will use 5 more aircraft on domestic serviced in the first half of 2010, when the carrier will enhance considerably flights between Melbourne and Sydney and to popular leisure destinations in the east coast.

The expansion plans, Buchanan explained, will increase the market share of Jetstar Airways – a subsidiary of Australia’s national airline Qantas Airways – to nearly 18%. This will, he added, ensure that the Qantas Group meets its “self-imposed rule” that it keep at least 65% of the domestic aviation market.

Jetstar Airways’ additional domestic flights from in the first half of 2010 include the following: 35 weekly services to Gold Coast from Melbourne, Newcastle, and Sydney; 14 weekly flights to Newcastle from Melbourne and Gold Coast; 18 weekly services to Cairns from Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, and Sydney; and 10 weekly services to Sunshine Coast from Melbourne and Sydney.

Jetstar Airways said it expects passenger numbers to go up by 7% from a total of 8.1 million in the financial year 2009.

Bruce Buchanan said the huge increase planned in the number of domestic flights is in response to the strong demand on routes from Melbourne and Sydney to the Sunshine Coast, the Gold Coast, Newcastle, Tasmania, and Cairns.

The 700,000 new seats, Buchanan added, will ensure sufficient low-fare capacity in the enable Jetstar Airways “to meet its commitment to have the lowest fares available” and also will generate over 200 jobs in the flight and cabin-crew segments and will facilitate promotions for pilots.

Buchanan said Jetstar Airways is likely to launch flights between Singapore and China, and between Singapore and Chiang Mai (Thailand).