General News
23 June, 2023
Jetstar Cairns-Newcastle flights may become permanent
JETSTAR’S seasonal service between Cairns and Newcastle may go year-round.
In time for the school holidays, the first flight is scheduled to take off from Cairns shortly after noon tomorrow.
This is the third year in a row that Jetstar has operated the service between the two cities, flying from June 24 to 28 October in partnership with Newcastle Airport and Cairns Airport.
The three return flights a week on Monday, Thursday and Saturday will be using an Airbus A320 aircraft, creating more than 4400 seats on the route each month.
Newcastle Airport chief executive officer Dr Peter Cock is hoping for the service to operate 12 months a year.
“Demand for travel in both directions is incredibly strong and with the continued support of our region we hope the Newcastle to Cairns service will extend beyond October 2023 to a year-round service,” he said.
Dr Cock is confident the seasonal direct flights between Newcastle and Cairns will continue to be a success.
Jetstar chief customer officer Alan McIntyre said already there were strong bookings in both directions.
“We’re really excited to relaunch our seasonal Cairns to Newcastle flights and it’s fantastic our customers have responded so positively to our amazing low fares,” he said.
“We’ve seen thousands of bookings already in both directions and many flights are close to fully booked, especially in the first couple of weeks of the four-month service.
“We thank Cairns Airport and Newcastle Airport for their support of the route.”
Cairns Airport chief executive officer Richard Barker said it was an ideal time for this service to resume as families headed into the mid-year-school holiday period.
“Demand in previous years has been very strong. Both destinations offer attractive holiday options, whether escaping the cold in idyllic Tropical North Queensland or exploring the premium wine regions of regional NSW,” said Mr Barker.
