General News
23 August, 2022
Jetstar’s First Neo Flight Takes Off To Cairns
JETSTAR’S first brand new, state-of-the-art Airbus A321LR (NEO) took to the skies for its first passenger flight on Friday, August 12, operating between Melbourne and Cairns.
Taking off with over 210 passengers on board, this is the first of 38 new longer-range, fuel-efficient NEO aircraft to arrive in Australia from the Airbus production line in Hamburg, Germany.
During August, the new aircraft will operate daily return flights between Melbourne and Cairns before expanding onto other domestic and international routes in the coming months, such as the east coast of Australia to Bali.
Jetstar’s Chief Executive Officer, Gareth Evans, said Cairns had always been one of Jetstar’s most popular domestic destinations, so it was a fitting first flight for the new NEO aircraft.
“Today is an exciting day as our customers experience the brand-new NEO aircraft first-hand, as it takes off on one of our most popular domestic routes from Melbourne to Cairns,” Mr Evans said.
“Our new fleet of NEOs will lift the bar on comfort for our customers, enable us to fly longer distances and importantly, deliver a more fuel-efficient way to fly.
“Customers on today’s flight will no doubt notice the difference, with a range of inflight benefits including wider seats, 40 per cent larger overhead storage lockers, in-seat USB power, mood lighting and engines which are 50% quieter.
“In the coming months, we’ll also roll out a digital streaming technology on board, meaning customers can access Jetstar’s inflight entertainment on their own devices when they fly.”
All 18 new A321 LRs are expected to be delivered by mid-2024, with the second NEO aircraft arriving in the coming months.
A further 20 A321XLR aircraft will arrive between 2024 and 2029, providing Jetstar with an even longer range of narrowbody flying.
