Jetstar today began operating its new daily Melbourne-Beijing services, which are routed via Singapore.
Beijing becomes Jetstar’s 10th destination in China. The airline said the route, with introductory sale fares starting at AUD$399 one-way, would appeal to budget-conscious Australian tourists as well as the growing numbers of Chinese tourists visiting Australia. Jetstar also hopes the flights will appeal to the estimated 50,000 Chinese expats living in Victoria.
“It won’t only be backpackers on these flights,” Jetstar Australia & NZ CEO David Hall said.
Jetstar operates 303-seat Airbus A330s on the Melbourne-Singapore-Beijing service. Flight JQ7 departs Melbourne at 1200, arriving in Singapore at 1650. It then departs Singapore at 18:35, arriving in Beijing at 0050 the next morning. The reciprocal JQ8 departs Beijing at 0250, arriving in Singapore at 0930. A significant stopover ensues, before JQ8 departs Singapore for Melbourne at 2050, arriving in the Victorian capital at 0655 the following morning.
Melbourne Airport recently reported a 27 per cent jump in passengers arriving on a Chinese passport.
