Jetstar’s inaugural flight between Singapore and Haikou, the popular port city on China’s Hainan Island, took off on Saturday (April 29th), marking the LCC’s return to China. The route will operate four times weekly with and Airbus A320.
On Saturday (April 29, 2023), Jetstar announced the launch of their inaugural flight between Singapore and Haikou on China’s Hainan Island. The flight departed Singapore's Changi Airport at 07:25 with 152 passengers onboard, while the return flight departed Haikou at 12:00 and arrived back in Singapore at 15:30. The route will be operated with an Airbus A320 four times weekly on Wednesdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. Chinese authorities have removed the PCR testing requirement for inbound travelers to China.
In Saturday’s announcement, Jetstar Asia’s CEO, Barathan Pasupathi, said,
“China is a critical market for Singaporeans, and we’re excited to connect both countries, enhance tourism and travel and reunite family and friends. Haikou was the first Chinese city Jetstar Asia flew to in 2009 and today, Hainan Island is one of the few Chinese destinations where most visitors can stay for up to 30 days without a visa and so we're seeing strong demand for this service. And our timing couldn’t be better with the Chinese authorities lifting PCR testing making it easier for travellers to visit this incredible city which is great news for our customers as well as tourism stakeholders and hospitality businesses.”
Also commenting on the new service to Haikou, Jetstar Asia’s Regional General Manager – Southeast Asia and Greater China, Xu Haibing, said,
“It has been wonderful to hear so many heartfelt stories from the Hainanese-dialect community in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia about their desire to be reunited with their families and friends, making this launch even more important. We’re delighted to welcome many of these passengers on board our inaugural flight, including crew members, their families and members from the Hainan Federation in Singapore, many of whom are visiting Haikou for the first time in years.”
Launched in Australia in 2004, Jetstar Airways is wholly owned by the Qantas Group, and has to date carried over 250 million passengers. Jetstar Group also includes Singapore-based Jetstar Asia Airways which is managed by Newstar Holdings and majority-owned (51%) by Westbrook Investments of Singapore, with the remaining 49% owned by Qantas Group. The Group also includes Jetstar Japan, a partnership between Qantas Group, Japan Airlines and Tokyo Century Corporation. Jetstar Group is one of the Asia Pacific’s largest LCC networks by revenue, with Jetstar-branded carriers serving over 85 destinations with more than 5,000 flights weekly. The Group operates a fleet of 11 Boeing 787-8 Dreamliners, 96 Airbus A320s and six A321s, and also has 18 Airbus A321neo LRs on order for Jetstar Airways.
Source: Jetstar Airways