dailynewsnblog
The Qantas Group is the largest airline in Australia and Oceania, and it has several operators under its belt, including the two most prominent, Qantas and its low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways. These two airlines, alongside Virgin Australia, dominate the Australian aviation space.
Both of these carriers have several exciting new Jetstar and Qantas routes set to take off before the end of the year, and using data from Cirium, an online aviation analytics company, we will dig into when and where these airlines are flying. One of the most exciting developments is the doors that will open for operators to and from the new Western Sydney Airport (WSI).
Jetstar Will Operate Three Domestic Routes From Western Sydney Airport
As announced in June, Jetstar will operate to three of the most popular domestic destinations from Western Sydney from October. The first commercial flight to operate from the new airport will be that of Jetstar JQ362, when it pushes back at 11:00 AM on October 25 with its eyes set on the Gold Coast (OOL). Jetstar plans to operate four times a week to the GC.
Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Brisbane Airport (BNE) will be next on the airline’s horizon, with these services starting the week of October 25. Melbourne will be the most popular route served, with the carrier flying twice daily, for a total of up to 14 flights a week. Brisbane will also see three flights a week.
Jetstar is known for growing new markets, and is proud to be the first airline to operate scheduled services from what will be a game-changer of an airport for Sydney, being able to operate without a curfew and have sufficient slot capacity to expand operations. A snapshot of JQ routes from WSI below:
Route | Start Date | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
Western Sydney (WSI) to Gold Coast (OOL) | October 25 | 4x Weekly | Airbus A320 |
Western Sydney (WSI) to Melbourne (MEL) | October 25 | 14x Weekly (2x Daily) | Airbus A320 |
Western Sydney (WSI) to Brisbane (MEL) | October 26 | 3x Weekly | Airbus A320 |
Flying High With New International Jetstar Routes
In addition to being the first airline at Western Sydney, Jetstar will also round out the year with three new international routes from Australia’s east coast. The standout will be the airline’s new service between Melbourne and Bandaranaike International Colombo Airport (CMB). The airline will go head-to-head on the route with SriLankan Airlines, and Jetstar is able to launch this route following an extensive retrofit of its Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, and will be the only Australian airline operating between the two cities.
Jetstar has progressively upgraded its Dreamliners with new economy and business class cabins. Additionally, a new lie-flat crew rest area now enables the airline to serve flights up to 16 hours. From August 25, Jetstar will serve Colombo three times a week, catering for up to 100,000 passengers per year.
Seasonal flights will take off between Perth International Airport (PER) and Christchurch Airport (CHC) from October 27, running through until March 27 and being operated by the airline’s Airbus A321LR aircraft. Services will operate across the day, leaving Perth in the early hours for an early evening arrival into Christchurch, while return flights depart in the evening for a late-night arrival into Perth.
Jetstar will also return to flying between 
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Christchurch, with services resuming from October 26. The route will be served four times weekly. This will see Jetstar as the only budget airline flying the route, which is otherwise dominated by full-service carriers Air New Zealand, Qantas and 
Emirates.
Route | Start Date | Frequency | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
Perth (PER) to Christchurch (CHC) | October 27 | 3x Weekly | Airbus A321LR |
Sydney (SYD) to Christchurch (CHC) | October 25 | 14x Weekly (2x Daily) | Airbus A320 |
Melbourne (MEL) to Colombo (CMB) | August 25 | 3x Weekly | Boeing 787-9 |
Jetstar Begins New 7-Hour Airbus A321LR Flights
It is temporarily the airline’s longest narrowbody service by time.
Qantas Launches Non-Stop Sydney To Las Vegas Flights
Perhaps the coolest in this analysis is Qantas’ plans to serve the City of Sin. Scheduled flights will take off from December 29, flying three times a week from Sydney to 
Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS). It will be the only airline connecting Australia and Las Vegas, and comes off the back of several successful charter flights.
Qantas and Jetstar continue to push the envelope with new and exciting opportunities for customers to enjoy an expanded international and domestic footprint. With Western Sydney providing a new way to travel to Australia’s most populated cities, it will be interesting to see what routes take off from there next.
