Jetstar Japan to take off on July 3

Jetstar Japan has announced that its operations will commence on July 3 this year, starting off with a network of five Japanese destinations.

The low-cost carrier, a joint venture between Qantas and Japan Airlines (JAL) (see story here), will initially be based at Tokyo Narita, offering daily flights to and from Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa serviced by Airbus A320 aircraft. 

Then, according to industry website airlineroute.net, the carrier will establish another base at Osaka Kansai on August 24. The carrier plans to launch short-haul international flights next year.

The schedules for flights from the Tokyo base are as follows:

According to a statement from the carrier, fares for these flights will be “up to 50 per cent less than full service carriers.”

Jetstar Japan is expected to go head to head with Osaka-based Peach Aviation, All Nippon Airways’ low-cost subsidiary, which has also been serving Fukuoka and Sapporo since March this year and is poised to branch out to international destinations from July 1 (see story here). When Business Traveller Asia-Pacific tried to book a Peach flight from Osaka to Seoul, prices were starting from JPY8,930 (US$110) one-way, inclusive of taxes. It remains to be seen if the prices offered by Jetstar Japan will be as competitive.

One thing for certain is that both carriers will completely change the Japanese aviation market, which has untapped potential in the low-cost segment. 

For more information, visit www.jetstar.com 

Alisha Haridasani