Newcastle Airport Welcomes Jetstar Back to Cairns

2022-06-24

Jetstar's Newcastle to Cairns service will kick off its second season tomorrow in time for the July school holidays, a year on from the inaugural flight.

The low-cost carrier has added 110 new flights between 25 June and 29 October 2022, with three return flights per week on a Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Newcastle Airport CEO Dr Peter Cock is confident the second season of direct flights between Newcastle and Cairns will be a success.

“People from our region love Tropical North Queensland, and the direct service between Newcastle and Cairns makes it easier than ever to get there."

“Although border closures last year caused disruption to the first season, demand for travel in both directions is incredibly strong."

“Our region has eagerly re-embraced travel and we have already seen a return to our pre-pandemic traffic as of April this year,” said Dr Cock.

Jetstar is the only airline operating this route, linking two of the country’s most spectacular tourist destinations. With a flight time of 2 hours and 45 minutes, and fares starting from $109, flights to the popular tropical destination are likely to fill quickly with the service expected to carry up to 4,000 passengers per month.

Dr Cock said now was the perfect time to venture north.

“Winter is the best time to explore Tropical North Queensland, and Newcastle Airport is focused on getting the people of our region on their holiday with an airport experience they deserve, with easy parking, shorter queues, and less stress than big city airports.”

The season is due to conclude on 29 October, however Jetstar will be monitoring demand to assess whether the route will be extended beyond this timeframe.

“With the support of our region, we hope the Newcastle to Cairns service will extend beyond October 2022,” said Dr Cock.

“Not only does the direct route bolster our network and give our region convenient access to all the destinations they want to travel to, it also provides a boost in tourism for both cities which is great for local business after the challenges of the past two years.”

The first flight of season two will depart Newcastle Airport tomorrow afternoon at 3:15pm carrying a load of excited travellers ready to warm up and unwind in Cairns.