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Jetstar will add a fourth weekly flight between Sydney and Rarotonga in the Cook Islands from March next year.
The Wednesday flights will join the existing three flights on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Sundays from 27 March, with the existing Thursday flights to operate on Fridays from 3 November this year. Jetstar says the addition of a fourth weekly service will boost annual capacity on the route by 24,000 seats.
“We’ve already carried more than 8,000 customers between Australia and the Cook Islands since we launched four months ago,” said Jenn Armor, Jetstar’s executive manager, customer.
“We thank the Cook Islands Government for its ongoing support of the route.”
Jetstar in July became the first Australian carrier to fly non-stop to the Cook Islands since the cancellation of an Ansett service in the early 1990s. With the addition of the Wednesday services, the route – which is operated by Jetstar’s new A321neo (NEO) fleet – is expected to carry upwards of 70,000 passengers per year between Sydney and Rarotonga.
Graeme West, general manager Australasia, Cook Islands Tourism, said the service is helping to revitalise the Cook Islands’ economy.
“Demand from Australia has been strong and feedback from Australian visitors over the past few months has been excellent, with many saying that the convenience of the direct flight influenced their decision to travel to the Cook Islands,” Mr West said.
While Jetstar already flies from Auckland to Rarotonga, the Sydney route shaves at least three hours off the travel time. The only other carrier to have offered a direct service in recent years is Air New Zealand.
According to Jetstar, the NEOs deliver 99.8 per cent mechanical reliability, are 50 per cent quieter than similar size Airbus A320/A321s, and burn up to 20 per cent less fuel. Jetstar will bring its total NEO fleet to 18 by the end of 2024.
