Jetstar today began operating its new daily Melbourne-Beijing services, which are routed via Singapore.
Beijing becomes Jetstar’s 10th destination in China. The airline said the route, with introductory sale fares starting at AUD$399 one-way, would appeal to budget-conscious Australian tourists as well as the growing numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Australia. Jetstar also hopes the flights will appeal to the estimated 50,000 Chinese expats living in Victoria.
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“It won’t only be backpackers on these flights,” Jetstar Australia & NZ CEO David Hall said.
Jetstar operates 303-seat Airbus A330s on the Melbourne-Singapore-Beijing service. Flight JQ7 departs Melbourne at 1200, arriving in Singapore at 1650. It then departs Singapore at 18:35, arriving in Beijing at 0050 the next morning. The reciprocal JQ8 departs Beijing at 0250, arriving in Singapore at 0930. A significant stopover ensues, before JQ8 departs Singapore for Melbourne at 2050, arriving in the Victorian capital at 0655 the following morning.
Melbourne Airport recently reported a 27 per cent jump in passengers arriving on a Chinese passport.