Bangkok--4 Jan--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
- Singapore-Guangzhou service started last month
- Additional flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City
- 2011 another year of strong growth for Jetstar Asia
New flights to China and Vietnam will cap off another year in 2011 of record growth for the Jetstar brand from Singapore.
Recently the low fares carrier launched flights to Guangzhou — Jetstar’s seventh mainland Chinese destination since 2009.
The additional Chinese flying follows the expansion of Jetstar’s Vietnamese services with new flights to Hanoi starting last month and a recent announcement that Jetstar will increase its 21 weekly services to Ho Chi Minh to 27 weekly services.
Jetstar now flies four times weekly to the Vietnamese capital Hanoi. Flights to both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City provide Jetstar passengers with access to Jetstar Pacific’s low fare domestic network, operated by Jetstar Pacific, with flights to Da Naoi, Vinh, Hai Phong and Hue.
The new services to China and Vietnam in 2011 topped off a second year of over 50 per cent capacity growth from Jetstar’s Singapore hub with the addition of four A320s and two A330s.
Jetstar Group Chief Executive Officer Bruce Buchanan said growth out of Jetstar’s Singapore hub would provide great new low fare travel options leading into the festive season.
“With new flights to not only Guangzhou and Hanoi, but to Hangzhou, Ningbo, Beijing, Haikou, Shantou and Auckland on offer over this festive period — Jetstar is providing Singapore travellers its largest number of affordable travel destinations to date,” Mr Buchanan said.
“We’re gearing up to continue Jetstar’s momentum across much of Asia from our Singapore hub, with new routes and added capacity in 2012.
“Plans are well underway for Jetstar Asia to have three A330s listed on its Air Operators Certificate and for the business to take on functional responsibility for long-haul flights from Singapore,” he added.
Jetstar Asia CEO Ms Chong Phit Lian, who will be flying on the inaugural service to Guangzhou, said the new service was a key milestone for the Singapore-based airline.
“Southern China was where we started our Mainland China story — launching flights to the capital completes a very important chapter in our journey.”