A Brief History of Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airlines flies for the first time
Established by Qantas in 2003 as a low-cost domestic carrier, Jetstar carried its first domestic passengers in 2004, and commenced its international services to New Zealand in 2005.
The first flight of Jetstar’s sister airline, Jetstar Asia Airways of which Qantas has a 49% stake, also took off in 2004, from Singapore to Hong Kong, marking Qantas’ entry into the Asian low-cost market.
Jetstar Quick Links
Jetstar Asia – Valuair Merge
Jetstar Asia and Valuair merged in July 2005, in the first major consolidation of Southeast Asia's crowded low-cost airline industry. Jetstar Asia and Valuair have continued to operate their normal routes under their own brands
Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane & Gold Coast flights lead the way
At the end of 2005, Jetstar commenced operations out of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and the Gold Coast. Soon after, the airline announced its intention to begin operations to destinations within 10 hours of Australia. Jetstar now flies from Australia to the US (Hawaii), Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Bali and out of Sydney to Kuala Lumpur.
Select your seat with Jetstar
In 2006, Jetstar became the first Australian airline to enable customers to select their seats upon booking. In the same year, Jetstar and Jetstar Asia were brought together under the Jetstar brand.
Jetstar Airlines awarded by Skytrax
In 2007, Jetstar won the Skytrax World Airline Award™ as the best low cost airline – in the world. The survey, conducted between August 2006 and June 2007, attracted 14 million respondents, with more than a third (five million) voting in the Low Cost Carrier category alone.
Jetstar flights take off
In January 2008, Jetstar carried 680,000 domestic passengers, up 12.8 per cent on January 2007, and 149,000 international passengers, up 65.7 per cent in the previous corresponding month.
Jetstar’s fleet sets its sights on Europe!
Jetstar’s domestic and international network is supported by an existing narrow-body fleet of 26 A320s and the future introduction of an initial three Airbus A321s. The airline currently operates six Airbus A330-200s serving eight international long-haul markets to Asia and the Asia Pacific.
Jetstar has made no secret of its intentions to become the world’s first global low cost airline, and has its sights set on Europe and the Americas.