Jetstar expects to receive the final three Dreamliners the airline has on order and therefore move to an all-787 fleet for its long-haul flying by the middle of September.
The Qantas-owned low-cost carrier says the last two routes to transition from the Airbus A330-200 to factory fresh Boeing 787-8s will be Melbourne-Honolulu and Brisbane-Honolulu on September 14.
Jetstar took delivery of its eighth 787-8 at the end of January. The aircraft, registration VH-VKI, commenced revenue service on February 5 as the JQ35 from Melbourne to Bali.
“The introduction of this aircraft has fundamentally changed the economics of our long haul flying with the substantial fuel savings it delivers and will also reduce maintenance costs,” Jetstar group chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said in a statement on Thursday.
“We’re looking forward to taking delivery of three additional 787s this year and completing the transition to an all 787 long haul fleet by September.
“This will enable us to offer a more consistent experience across our long haul international network and unlock further cost benefits to help us keep fares low for our customers.”
Sydney-Honolulu was the latest to receive 787 service, with Jetstar’s first Dreamliner flight on the route scheduled to take off at 1755 local time on Thursday as the JQ3.
The airline’s fleet of Airbus A330-200s, which currently stood at three aircraft, was progressively being returned to parent Qantas as Jetstar picked up new 787s.
Based on the current schedules, it will have taken Jetstar a little under two years to transition to an all 787 long-haul fleet that served Japan, Thailand and Indonesia, Honolulu and Singapore, as well as a number of domestic routes within Australia.
Jetstar received its first 787-8 on October 7 2013, when VH-VKA touched down at Melbourne Tullamarine from Boeing’s Paine Field via Honolulu.
