Jetstar: No cuts to Cairns

NO changes are in the pipeline for Jetstar services to and from Cairns after the budget Australian airline announced it would axe its Townsville to Bali route.

A Jetstar spokesman said the company continually assessed its routes and had decided to stop flights from Townsville to Denpasar from March 21 next year due to declining profitability.

The route has been running for two years after Strategic Airlines ceased the same flight in 2011.

In contrast, flights to Bali from the Far North have been expanded and other overseas routes have experienced growth.

“We have added another weekly flight to Bali to meet demand from Cairns holidaymakers, which is around 30 per cent more seats in the route,” the Jetstar spokesman said.

“We currently operate up to four flights to Denpasar airport. In 2017 our international operations out of Cairns have increased more than 19 per cent, in comparison to the same time last year.

“Currently, we operate around 11,900 annual flights to and from Cairns, carrying close to two million passengers a year.”

Jetstar operates flights to international destinations Bali, Tokyo and Osaka, from Cairns and domestically to Sydney, Melbourne, Darwin, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast.

Advance Cairns chief executive Kevin Byrne said the city could not be compared to Townsville.

“We are an entirely different destination, we’re an international destination,” he said.

“Jetstar has to survive on Townsville people alone.

“We rely on international connectivity.”