Qantas Airways and Japan Airlines (JAL) have announced that they will be injecting a sum of US$97 million into Jetstar Japan.
The low-cost carrier, which both Qantas and JAL share a stake in, is set to start international operations next year and the extra funding will help to bolster its growth.
Qantas outlined that the performance results by Jetstar Japan thus far “are tracking at or ahead of expectations”. Similarly, in an article by Reuters, the Australian carrier was quoted as stating: “Year-to-date yields are up 9 percent compared to the previous year, and year-on-year revenue growth per passenger remains strong after increasing 15 percent in full-year 2014”.
Since launching flights in 2012, Jetstar Japan’s network has expanded to 18 routes in 11 domestic destinations. While no destination was revealed during the announcement, Qantas did confirm that international ticket sales would start by the end of the year.
Jetstar Japan’s seemingly flourishing outlook is a stark contrast to that of Jetstar Hong Kong, which has yet to receive approval from authorities. In the face of deep opposition by home carrier Cathay Pacific, the carrier has been forced to sell a number of aircraft and redeploy pilots as it hopes to finally get off the ground.
For more information, visit jetstar.com/jp/en
Clement Huang
