Jetstar Japan announces first routes

Jetstar Japan has announced its initial domestic destinations.

Jetstar Japan will fly to Osaka, Sapporo, Fukuoka and Okinawa from its Tokyo Narita base when the airline begins operations in July, the carrier announced on Wednesday.

The initial schedule will make the airline the only LCC to fly domestically from the Japanese capital, Jetstar said. The carrier plans to commence flights on July 3, ahead of its previously announced goal.

A joint venture between Qantas, Japan Airlines and Mitsubishi Corporation, Jetstar Japan will operate a fleet of three new Airbus A320s, with plans to expand the fleet to 24 aircraft within a few years. The airline has said it is exploring international short haul flights to destinations in China and South Korea.

Since the start of the year, the Jetstar Group has announced 36 additional weekly international flights to and from Japan, including four times weekly service from Darwin to Tokyo via Manila.