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Jetstar is this week commencing flights from Brisbane to Seoul and Osaka with its 787-8 fleet.
Flight JQ53 took off for Seoul at noon on Thursday aboard VH-VKK, and will serve the Seoul-Brisbane route three times per week. The JQ23/24 service from Brisbane to Osaka will commence on Friday, with four return flights per week, and will be the only non-stop route between the two cities.
Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said there has already been strong demand for the Seoul and Osaka services.
“We anticipate these two exciting new routes will be popular in both directions, with inbound visitation from South Korea and Japan expected to inject millions of dollars into the sunshine state’s economy,” she said.
“For Queenslanders, more than 240,000 low fare seats across the two new routes will give them the chance to take off more and explore these incredibly beautiful cities.”
Queensland Tourism Minister Michael Healy said the direct flights to Osaka and Seoul would bring “thousands of tourists” to Brisbane.
“Latest figures show South Korea is a stand-out growth market for Queensland, up by 40 per cent to 56,000 visitors a year. Japan is our second largest source market worth $146.5m a year in overnight visitor expenditure,” he said.
“These new services are supported by the Queensland Government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF) to stimulate the state’s visitor economy.”
The new services, announced in June last year, are part of a massive expansion of Jetstar’s international Brisbane operations, including a shift of Tokyo services from the Gold Coast, an increase in flights to Denpasar and Auckland, and an increasing deployment of the Airbus A321neo LR.
According to Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff, the Jetstar partnership is the biggest injection of low-fare seats Brisbane has ever seen.
“We look forward to welcoming more travellers from New Zealand, Japan and Seoul enabling them to get out and explore our region and State,” he said in June.
“We are also excited to see Jetstar deploying the new quieter and fuel-efficient Airbus A321neo on these new BNE flights.
“Brisbane Airport is committed to reducing the noise impact for our nearby communities and we know that next generation aircraft are an important part of this solution.”
Brisbane now has direct connections to 29 international and 61 domestic destinations.
