On of the main options for travelers from Asia to Australia and viceversa is Jetstar Airways. The airline has grown significantly over the past 2 decades and is now a major player in the budget market many routes connecting Australia to Asia. In this post we’ll take a closer look at the composition of the Jetstar fleet.
Jetstar’s Origins – Qantas Fighting Back The Low Cost Threat
Jetstar started operations in 2004 as a response from the Qantas group to Virgin Blue Airlines. Virgin had entered the market with its budget carrier in 2000 threatening Qantas’ dominant position. Suddenly Qantas found itself, as a premium full service carrier having to fight against a competitor capable of significantly undercutting it on fare prices.
Virgin Blue’s founding triggered Qantas’ response, which was to launch its own low-cost subsidiary. That is where Jetstar has its origins. It allowed Qantas not to get mixed up in a fare war with Virgin Blue (then Virgin Australia) using its own name. It instead used a proxy which could cut down any additional service selling just the bare fare without hindering Qantas’ status as a premium carrier.
Since then the airline has expanded its network and reach across Australia, New Zealand and Asia. It longest routes currently stretch as far as Singapore and Seoul.
The Three Jetstar Operations – Australia, Japan and Singapore
When talking about Jetstar we must make a distinction. The airline is divided into 3 different standalone companies:
- Jetstar Japan
- Jetstar
- Jetstar Asia
The first of the 3 clearly operates from bases in Japan, the latter from its Singapore Changi Airport, while the second of the list is the original Australian based airline. The Jetstar fleet is so divided between these 3 distinct divisions. However, do keep in mind that the Australian Jetstar is the only wholly owned by Qantas, while the other two companies are joint ventures with other entities.
The Australian Jetstar Fleet – The Qantas Low Cost Option to Fly
The original JQ fleet is also the largest of the pack and the only one that features wide body aircraft. This division operates flights to destinations in southeast Asia along with South Korea and Japan from Australia. As of March 2023 Jetstar Australia operates:
- 55 Airbus A320-200
- 18 Airbus A321neo
- 6 Airbus A321-200
- 10 Boeing 787-8
The ceo versions of the Airbus A320 and A321 are mainly used for short and medium haul flights. On the other hand the A321neo, of which Jetstar is receiving more of, are also used for long range flights. Both neo and ceo A320s feature a 1 class configuration with all economy class seats.
The only wide body plane of the fleet, the Boeing 787-8, also offers a different class of travel. The Jetstar Boeing 787-8 is configured in a 2 class layout with:
- 21 Business Class Seats
- 314 Economy Class Seats
You’ll see the 787s deployed on longer sectors such as Sydney to Seoul or Tokyo.
The Jetstar Japan Fleet
The Jetstar Japan fleet is the second in size of the group. The Japanese division of the airline operates a fleet of 21 planes, based in Osaka, Tokyo and Nagoya. The fleet features:
- 19 Airbus A320-200
- 3 Airbus A321neo
This is a much smaller operation than the main one in Australia and focuses on offering a low cost travel option within Japan. The carrier only operates 3 destinations outside the country, namely:
- Shanghai
- Taiwan
- Manila
Jetstar’s Singapore Operation Fleet
The smallest fleet of the 3 Jetstar operations is by far the one based in Singapore’s Changi Airport. The Jetstar Asia fleet only consists of 7 planes, all narrow body aircraft. Specifically:
- 11 Airbus A320-200
The airline focuses on short and medium haul flights from Changi to destinations within Southeast Asia. The three Jetstar operations form a wider network which allows the airline to market onwards travel in these strategic markets.