Jetstar’s Dreamliners go in for the long haul

After 13 years in the skies, Jetstar’s 787-8 Dreamliners are headed for Hong Kong for a major cabin refresh – one that is set to unlock new destinations. Jake Nelson stepped on board one of the refurbished aircraft to see what changes are in store for both passengers and crew.

In 2013, Australia got its first Boeing 787 Dreamliner – not the 787-9s now operated by Qantas, but VH-VKA, a 787-8 flown by Jetstar. From that one plane, the low-cost carrier operates 11 787-8 Dreamliners to destinations mostly around Asia, including Bangkok, Phuket, Singapore, Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka; now, as the Dreamliners hit their teenage years, Jetstar has decided the time is right for an ambitious refit that will allow them to fly even further.

“I’ve been working on this project since inception. We started in September 2023, but for the most part, what we have done here is just renewed our aircraft, so they can stay with us for another 10 years or so,” says Jetstar fleet development manager Anwar Singh. “Basically, all new carpet, curtains, new customer amenities like your seats. We have added a lot of comfort in the seats, so we kept that in mind that now customers will be sitting in a seat for 16 hours. How do we provide customers that comfort versus the local domestic fleet?

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