low-cost airline A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline (occasionally referred to as '' no-frills'', ''budget'' or '' discount carrier'' or ''airline'', and abbreviated as ''LCC'') is an airline that is operated with an especially high emphasis on minimizing op ...

Narita, Chiba is a city in Chiba Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 131,852 in 63,098 households and a population density of 620 persons per km². The total area of the city is . It is the site of Narita International Airport, one o ...

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, Maiden flight, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air F ...

Narita International Airport Narita International Airport ( ja, 成田国際空港, Narita Kokusai Kūkō) , also known as Tokyo-Narita, formerly and originally known as , is one of two international airports serving the Greater Tokyo Area, the other one being Haneda Airport ...

air operator's certificate An air operator's certificate (AOC) is the approval granted by a civil aviation authority (CAA) to an aircraft operator to allow it to use aircraft for commercial purposes. This requires the operator to have personnel, assets, and system in pla ...

Fukuoka is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

Naha Airport is a second class airport located west of the city hallAIS Japan
in Osaka is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...

Kansai The or the , lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshu, Honshū. The region includes the Prefectures of Japan, prefectures of Nara Prefecture, Nara, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Kyoto Prefecture, Kyoto, Osaka Prefectur ...

Sapporo ( ain, サッ・ポロ・ペッ, Satporopet, lit=Dry, Great River) is a city in Japan. It is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city on Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city ...

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport ( ja, 関西国際空港, Kansai Kokusai Kūkō) commonly known as is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and ...

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especially ...

Jetstar Airways Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in Melbourne. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by airline Virgin ...

Chubu Centrair International Airport is an international airport on an artificial island in Ise Bay, Tokoname City in Aichi Prefecture, south of Nagoya in central Japan. Centrair is classified as a first class airport and is the main international gateway for the Chubu (" ...

Kagoshima , abbreviated to , is the capital city of Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. Located at the southwestern tip of the island of Kyushu, Kagoshima is the largest city in the prefecture by some margin. It has been nicknamed the "Naples of the Eastern wor ...

Matsuyama Airport is an airport located west southwestAIS Japan
of On 10 December 2013, Jetstar Japan launched twice daily service between Tokyo Narita and

Takamatsu Airport is a second class airport located south southwestAIS Japan
of

. Following airport maintenance delays, Jetstar Japan's base at Osaka's

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport ( ja, 関西国際空港, Kansai Kokusai Kūkō) commonly known as is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and ...

opened in June 2014, with frequencies increased on the airline's existing routes between the airport and Fukuoka, Okinawa, Sapporo, and Tokyo Narita. While no new routes were added to the base at its induction, Jetstar Japan announced on 16 July 2014 the addition of daily service to

Oita Airport Oita often refers to: *Ōita Prefecture, Kyushu, Japan *Ōita (city), the capital of the prefecture Oita or Ōita may also refer to: Places * Ōita District, Ōita, a former district in Ōita Prefecture, Japan *Ōita Stadium, a multi-use stadiu ...

from 9 October 2014, and announced further expansion on 20 August 2014 with the addition of twice daily service to

Kumamoto Airport , also known as , is an airport in Mashiki, Kumamoto, Japan. History The first Kumamoto Airport opened in 1960 on the site of a former Imperial Japanese Army air base and had a 1,200 m runway. It was replaced by the current Kumamoto Airport i ...

starting on 26 October 2014. Additionally, twice daily service to Kumamoto was also planned from both Nagoya Centrair and Tokyo Nartia on the same date. Following the opening of the airline's Osaka Kansai base in June 2014, CEO Miyuki Suzuki confirmed that deliveries of the airline's remaining A320s on order would be slowed down and spread throughout the next fiscal year. She also stated Jetstar Japan's plans to commence international operations in the coming winter season, with initial destinations under consideration being within four or five hours of travel time from the airline's Tokyo Narita base. In July 2014, Jetstar Japan announced the establishment of codeshare and frequent-flyer program agreements with parent airline company

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

. This gave the airline a distinction from traditional low-cost carriers, such as

Peach The peach (''Prunus persica'') is a deciduous tree first domesticated and cultivated in Zhejiang province of Eastern China. It bears edible juicy fruits with various characteristics, most called peaches and others (the glossy-skinned, non-fu ...

and

Vanilla Air was a low-cost airline in Japan wholly owned by All Nippon Airways. Its head office was within Terminal 2 of Narita International Airport in Narita, Chiba Prefecture. The airline ceased operations in October 2019 on its merger with Peach Av ...

, which were both affiliated with

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had mo ...

but lacked similar agreements with ANA. Additionally, Jetstar Japan began offering international connections with both Japan Airlines and Australian-based

Jetstar Airways Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in Melbourne. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by airline Virgin ...

. From October 2014,

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

joined as a codeshare partner, followed by Jetstar Japan's other parent company airline

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

which joined as a codeshare partner in January 2015.

International services and expansion (2014–present)

On 3 December 2014, Jetstar Japan announced the long-delayed commencement of international service, with its first service to connect Osaka Kansai with

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

. The service was planned to initially operate three times per week, with additional frequencies added over time. On 16 March 2015, it was announced that services to Hong Kong would increase with two additional weekly frequencies, operating five weekly flights from 18 July 2015 to 31 August 2015, and four weekly flights from 1 September 2015 to 24 October 2015. On 21 January 2015, Jetstar Japan announced a new daily service between Nagoya Centrair and Okinawa would commence from 29 March 2015. However the net amount of services from Nagoya Centrair were planned to remain the same, with the service to Okinawa replacing one of the two daily services to Kumamoto. In turn, the number of daily departures from

Kumamoto Airport , also known as , is an airport in Mashiki, Kumamoto, Japan. History The first Kumamoto Airport opened in 1960 on the site of a former Imperial Japanese Army air base and had a 1,200 m runway. It was replaced by the current Kumamoto Airport i ...

reduced from six to five. On 1 April 2015, it was announced that CEO Miyuki Suzuki had decided to resign, with Jetstar Group Executive Gerry Turner taking her place as CEO. Masaru Kataoka was also to take up the role of company chairman. On 7 April 2015, Jetstar Japan announced its first international service from Tokyo, with the commencement of service between Tokyo Narita and

Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is Hong Kong's main airport, built on reclaimed land on the island of Chek Lap Kok, Hong Kong. The airport is also referred to as Chek Lap Kok International Airport or ''Chek Lap Kok Airport'', to distinguish ...

initially at a frequency of three weekly flights starting from 1 June 2015, before advancing the service to daily from 1 September. On 5 August 2015, the airline carried its ten millionth passenger. On 19 August 2015, it was announced that services between Nagoya Centrair and Kumamoto along with the daily service between Osaka and Oita would be discontinued at the end of the summer season on 25 October 2015. On 13 October 2015, the airline announced that service to Taipei Taoyan would commence from Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, and Nagoya Centrair. Services were planned with an initial frequency of three weekly flights, with additional plans to increase the frequency to daily by the end of 2015. In early 2016, it was announced on 15 January that services between Osaka Kansai and Kumamoto would be discontinued at the beginning of the summer timetable on 27 March, while on 21 January, it was announced that new service linking Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, and Nagoya Centrair with Manila's

Ninoy Aquino International Airport Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...

would be inaugurated in March. The airline became the first Japanese low-cost carrier to serve Manila, which was also the airline's third international destination. However on 1 July 2016, Jetstar Japan cancelled the service between Osaka Kansai and Manila, while services to Manila from Nagoya and Tokyo Narita were temporarily suspended until 1 September 2016. On 9 August 2016, Jetstar Japan gained approval from the

Civil Aviation Administration of China The Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC; ) is the Chinese civil aviation authority under the Ministry of Transport. It oversees civil aviation and investigates aviation accidents and incidents. As the aviation authority responsible f ...

to serve four routes between Japan and China, consisting of Tokyo and Osaka to Shanghai and Guangzhou. On 23 August 2016, the airline was confirmed to have made its first profit, and also announced plans to grow its fleet from the current 20 aircraft to 28 over the next three years. On 27 November 2018, Jetstar Japan announced that it was considering the opening of a fourth base in Japan, following Tokyo Narita, Osaka Kansai, and Nagoya Centrair. In April 2019, Jetstar Japan announced a new domestic route between Tokyo Narita and Shonai Airport, beginning on 1 August 2019. In June 2020, one of the airline's Airbus A321LRs was shown during production in a revised livery.

Corporate affairs

Corporate structure and capitalisation

The head office of Jetstar Japan is in Narita,

Chiba Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Chiba Prefecture has a population of 6,278,060 (1 June 2019) and has a geographic area of . Chiba Prefecture borders Ibaraki Prefecture to the north, Saitama Prefecture to the ...

. The airline is owned by

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

(33.3%),

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

(33.3%),

Mitsubishi Corporation is Japan's largest trading company (sogo shosha) and a member of the Mitsubishi keiretsu. As of 2022, Mitsubishi Corporation employs over 80,000 people and has ten business segments, including finance, banking, energy, machinery, chemicals, an ...

(16.7%), and Century Tokyo Leasing Corporation (16.7%). Total capitalisation committed to the new airline has been up to ¥12 billion. In November 2013,

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

and

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

each injected ¥5.5 billion of fresh capital in the form of non-voting shares. This kept the ownership structure the same however both

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

and

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

economic interest in Jetstar Japan rose to 45.7% each. In November 2014,

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

and

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

each agreed to inject a further ¥5.5 billion of fresh capital in the form of non-voting shares. This capital injection was to be undertaken in two tranches and was the second re-capitalisation in under a year. The issuance of non-voting shares kept the ownership structure the same however both

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

and

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

economic interest in Jetstar Japan rose to 47.1% each. The first tranche totaling ¥7 billion was injected in November 2014 with the second tranche of ¥4 billion paid in July 2015. In August 2015, at the announcement of Qantas' annual financial results, it was revealed that further capital injections would take place into Jetstar Japan totaling ¥10 billion. No dates were announced for when the capital would be injected, although it was planned to be done in two tranches with the first consisting of ¥7 billion, and the second of ¥3 billion.

Financial performance

For the fiscal year ending on 30 June 2013, Jetstar Japan earned total revenue of JPY 12.8 billion and made a loss of JPY 8.8 billion. For the fiscal year ending on 30 June 2014, Jetstar Japan's total revenue increased to JPY 29.1 billion but its loss also increased to JPY 11.1 billion. For the September fiscal quarter of 2014, Japan's Japan's MLITT Domestic market statistics reported that Jetstar Japan had total revenue earned from the domestic market of JPY10,123 million, up 44.1% from the September 2013 quarter. Revenue per passenger was JPY9,000 up 4.7%, Passenger revenue per RPK was JPY8.7 up 8.7% and passenger numbers were 1.1 million which was up 37.2%. For the December fiscal quarter of 2014, Japan's MLITT Domestic market statistics reported that Jetstar Japan had total revenue earned from the domestic market of JPY7,818 million, up 46.2% from the December 2013 quarter. Revenue per passenger was JPY7,600 up 10.1%, Passenger revenue per RPK was JPY7.6 up 15.2% and passenger numbers were 1 million which was up 31.2%. For the March fiscal quarter of 2015, Japan's MLITT Domestic market statistics reported that Jetstar Japan had total revenue earned from the domestic market of JPY8,982 million, up 69.3% from the March 2014 quarter. Revenue per passenger was JPY7,600 up 20.6%, Passenger revenue per RPK was JPY7.6 up 24.6% and passenger numbers were 1.2 million which was up 39.3%. For the June fiscal quarter of 2015, Japan's MLITT Domestic market statistics reported that Jetstar Japan had total revenue earned from the domestic market of JPY8,005 million, up 40.1% from the June 2014 quarter. Revenue per passenger was JPY6,800 up 3.4%, Passenger revenue per RPK was JPY6.5 up 0.9% and passenger numbers were 1.2 million which was up 35.5%. This means that for the fiscal year ending on 30 June 2015, the total domestic revenue of Jetstar Japan was JPY34.928 billion, which does not include revenue from international operations or ancillary services.

Destinations

Jetstar Japan flies to 20 destinations in the

Asia-Pacific Asia-Pacific (APAC) is the part of the world near the western Pacific Ocean. The Asia-Pacific region varies in area depending on context, but it generally includes East Asia, Russian Far East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Australia and Pacific Isla ...

region. While the airline mostly operates domestic flights within

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

, it also operates international flights to

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

,

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

, and

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

.

Codeshare agreements

Jetstar Japan has

codeshare agreement A codeshare agreement, also known simply as codeshare, is a business arrangement, common in the aviation industry, in which two or more airlines publish and market the same flight under their own airline designator and flight number (the "airli ...

s with the following airlines: *

American Airlines American Airlines is a major airlines of the United States, major US-based airline headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the world when measured ...

*

Japan Airlines , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

*

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

Fleet

Jetstar Japan, A320-200, JA03JJ (18264501320)

, Jetstar Japan's fleet consists of the following aircraft:

Fleet development

Jetstar Japan began operations with three aircraft, and up to October 2013 was adding a new aircraft every four to six weeks. The airline planned to expand its initial fleet of three Airbus A320 aircraft to a total of 24 within the first few years of operation. However, due to delays in opening the second base at

Kansai International Airport Kansai International Airport ( ja, 関西国際空港, Kansai Kokusai Kūkō) commonly known as is the primary international airport in the Greater Osaka Area of Japan and the closest international airport to the cities of Osaka, Kyoto, and ...

along with restrictions imposed on the company by Japanese authorities, the company paused its fleet expansion at eighteen aircraft. Fleet expansion restarted in October 2014 with two new A320s delivered prior to the end of that year. On 30 November 2018, three

Airbus A321LR The Airbus A320neo family is a development of the A320 family of narrow-body airliners produced by Airbus. The A320neo family (''neo'' for "new engine option") is based on the previous A319, A320 and A321 ( enhanced variant), which was then ren ...

aircraft were allocated to Jetstar Japan between the 18 A321LRs ordered by

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founded ...

for its

Jetstar Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in Melbourne. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by airline Virgi ...

affiliate airlines, with delivery of the jets originally planned for mid-2020, but subsequently deferred to 2021. Unlike Jetstar's A321LRs which were revealed to have a seating capacity of 232, Jetstar Japan reported its A321LRs would have a seating capacity of 238. In March 2021, Qantas announced the temporary transfer of up to six of Jetstar Japan's Airbus A320s to Jetstar, citing the slower recovery of Japan's domestic travel market during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Frequent-flyer program

While Jetstar Japan does not have its own

frequent-flyer program A frequent-flyer program (American English) or frequent-flyer programme (British English) is a loyalty program offered by an airline. Many airlines have frequent-flyer programs designed to encourage airline customers enrolled in the program ...

, it participates in the programs of other airlines, which consist of

Emirates Emirates may refer to: * United Arab Emirates, a Middle Eastern country * Emirate, any territory ruled by an emir ** Gulf emirates, emirates located on the Persian Gulf ** Emirates of the United Arab Emirates, the individual emirates * The Emirat ...

Skywards,

JAL Mileage Bank , also known as JAL (''Jaru'') or , is an international airline and Japan's flag carrier and largest airline as of 2021 and 2022, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its main hubs are Tokyo's Narita International Airport and Haneda Airport, as w ...

, and Qantas Frequent Flyer.

Marketing

Jetstar Japan uses a

red panda The red panda (''Ailurus fulgens''), also known as the lesser panda, is a small mammal native to the eastern Himalayas and southwestern China. It has dense reddish-brown fur with a black belly and legs, white-lined ears, a mostly white muzzle ...

mascot character named "Jetta" (ジェッ太). The airline later created other characters as Jetta's family, consisting of Papa (パパ), Mama (ママ), Seiko (せいこ), and Hoshimi (ほしみ).
Alternative link
/ref> The airline created the character since the Japanese business partners of Jetstar argued that mascots bring success to Japan-based businesses. Steve Creedy of ''

The Australian ''The Australian'', with its Saturday edition, ''The Weekend Australian'', is a broadsheet newspaper published by News Corp Australia since 14 July 1964.Bruns, Axel. "3.1. The active audience: Transforming journalism from gatekeeping to gatew ...

'' wrote in 2015 that the character "has since become something of a cult figure in Japan."

References

External links

*
Website about Jetta
{{Airlines of Japan Japanese companies established in 2011 Airlines established in 2011 Airlines of Japan Japan Airlines Qantas Low-cost carriers Companies based in Chiba Prefecture Multinational joint-venture companies Narita, Chiba

History

Launch (2012–2014)

International services and expansion (2014–present)

Corporate affairs

Corporate structure and capitalisation

Financial performance

Destinations

Codeshare agreements

Fleet

Fleet development

Frequent-flyer program

Marketing

See also

References

External links