Jetstar announces an extension of its existing service between Darwin and Singapore, to Osaka with a new thrice-weekly service, effective November 1.
The existing weekly links between Darwin International Airport and Singapore Changi Airport operate every Thursday, Friday and Sunday, onboard an A321, departing the Australian city at 1820 for landing in Singapore at 2120. The added legs will connect these three flights from Singapore to Osaka's Kansai International Airport with an A330, which takes off at 2230 for 0600 arrival the next day. The return flights on Monday, Friday and Saturday will depart the Japanese city at 1030 to touch down in Singapore at 1620, and connect with the 2220 flight for Darwin scheduled to arrive at 0430 the next day.
The extension will increase the carrier's international services to Osaka to 31 per week and complement the domestic network of newly launched Jetstar Japan (see story here). “This new service means Darwin will be connected to Osaka as well as Tokyo, and by extension, to three other major Japanese cities via Jetstar Japan’s domestic network," Jayne Hrdlicka, chief executive of the Jetstar Group, said. Darwin, as a gateway to the Northern Territory of Australia, is a secondary hub of the Melbourne-based airline as well as its stepping stone to Asia.
Travel among Japan, Singapore and Australia is on the rise. According to statistics from Japan’s Ministry of Justice and National Tourist Organisation, the number of Japanese visitors to Australia has shown a year-on-year increase of 7.5 per cent over the first four months of 2012. Japanese visitors to Singapore also increased by about 20 per cent during the same period. For the first five months of 2012, Singaporean visitors to Japan showed a 45 per cent growth in number, while Australian travellers to Japan rose 15 per cent in volume.
For more information, visit www.jetstar.com.
Michelle Fong
