Jestar Asia services resumed from Singapore to Surabaya on April 25th, a route that is key for both leisure and business travel. Surabaya is Indonesia’s 2nd largest city after Jakarta and is one of the most important trading hubs in South East Asia.
Juanda International Airport reopened for international flights in December, after the halt of international travel caused by the pandemic. It will also be a milestone in Jetstar Asia’s recovery following the loss of business and reduced flights and staffing levels due to COVID-19.
The Indonesian Government has brought back visa-free travel for ASEAN visitors and there is a visa on arrival in place for visitors from 43 other countries. The pre-departure PCR test into Singapore has also been removed.
Customer confidence is slowly being restored and the demand for domestic and international travel is increasing. It is expected that it will be a busy period prior to the festivals of Hari Raya Puasa on May 3rd and Vesak Day on May 15th when friends and families traditionally travel to reunite and celebrate.
As COVID restrictions ease, Jetstar is ready to welcome more guests back on board. Photo: Jetstar Asia
The finer details…
There are 3 flights weekly (3K247) on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from Singapore’s Changi Airport, departing at 11.10 and arriving at Surabaya Juanda Airport at 12.30. The return flight (3K248) departs at 13.20 arriving back in Singapore at 16.40 – all times are local. The flight time is approximately two hours and 20 minutes and fares start at SGD 152 ($110). Flights are on a single-class Airbus A320 with 180 seats.
Mr Sisyani Jafar, the General Manager of PT Pingkasa Pura I in Surabaya said:
“We warmly welcome Jetstar Asia’s inaugural service and return to operations in Surabaya. We are pleased that travelers will once again be able to enjoy the Surabaya route.”
Flights increase capacity
Jetstar Asia plans to improve flight frequency to other key airports in Indonesia, just before the holidays. Denpasar flights will increase to five per week and Jakarta flights to 14 weekly, pending approval from the regulators.
Flights to the Malaysian city of Kuala Lumpur will increase to 21 flights per week from June.
Other Indonesian cities will also see increases in flights. Photo: Jetstar Asia
At a recent press conference, the CEO of Jetstar Asia, Bara Pasupathi, said,
“ As we continue to ramp up operations, we look forward to announcing more exciting destinations to join our network in the coming weeks and months. There is a significant pent-up demand for services in and out of Indonesia and we know our customers are eager to snap up our great low fares.”
Jetstar Asia announced in March that flights would resume from Singapore to Thailand, Australia and the Philippines. This would include designated vaccinated travel flights for those passengers with vaccination certificates, no need for quarantine, and replacing costly PCR tests with ART tests.
Jetstar Asia has been based in Singapore since 2004. It has a fleet of 10 A320-200 aircraft and currently flies to 15 destinations in North and South East Asia and Australia. The low-cost airline is an offshoot of Jetstar Airways and a subsidiary of Qantas.
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