Agreement delivers a massive boost in flights to Queensland

Hundreds of thousands of additional low-cost fare seats on international routes flying into Queensland will be on offer following an agreement signed today between Jetstar and Brisbane Airport.

The agreement, partly supported by the Queensland Government’s Attracting Aviation Investment Fund (AAIF), will bring a surge of tourists into South East Queensland and enable connections to tourism hotspots around the state.

The agreement will see Jetstar begin operating new direct flights from Tokyo (Narita), Osaka and Seoul into Brisbane, while also adding more frequency to its existing services from Bali and Auckland into Brisbane.

Collectively more than half a million return flight seats a year will be added to Jetstar’s services into Brisbane.

The new Osaka, Seoul and Auckland services are supported by Queensland’s AAIF, an initiative developed to stimulate the state’s visitor economy following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s announcement means 20 international services will receive support from the AAIF. These services are estimated to deliver almost 2 million inbound international seats, up to $1.7 billion in overnight visitor spending each year and support more than 20,000 Queensland jobs.

Jetstar Group Chief Executive Officer Stephanie Tully said the new Brisbane Airport deal will bring thousands of new visitors to Queensland each year, invigorating the local economy.

“Jetstar has a strong track record of stimulating travel through great value fares and this major boost to international flying for Queensland will bring thousands more tourists into the sunshine state from Japan, South Korea and across the Tasman.

“We thank Brisbane Airport and the Queensland Government for their support of the Osaka, Seoul and Auckland services through the AAIF which is accelerating the return of overseas tourists.”

Brisbane Airport CEO Gert-Jan de Graaff hailed the expansion of services.

“This is the biggest injection of low fare seats for Queenslanders, and visitors from our most popular markets, that we have ever seen,” Mr de Graaff said.

“We look forward to welcoming more travellers from New Zealand, Japan and Seoul enabling them to get out and explore our region and State.”