Jetstar to relocate to Changi Airport Terminal 4 by March 25 next year
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The move puts an end to months of negotiations between both parties, after Jetstar rejected the relocation when it was announced in July.
PHOTO: ST FILE
SINGAPORE - Low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia will relocate its operations to Changi Airport Terminal 4
The move puts an end to months of talks between both parties, after Jetstar rejected the relocation
On Friday, both parties said the agreement follows the completion of a joint study by CAG and Jetstar Asia on the potential impact of the move on the airline’s operations.
Jetstar was initially slated to move to T4 on Oct 25, 2022. But after CAG announced in July the list of airlines that would shift to the terminal, Jetstar said the decision was taken “unilaterally” and done in bad faith before any agreement had been reached.
Jetstar, which mainly operates out of T1 with limited arrivals at T2, said then that the move would have an impact on its customers, people and operations, but did not give details.
On Oct 23, CAG confirmed that the move would not happen by Oct 25 and said an announcement would be made soon.
On Friday, Mr Lim Ching Kiat, CAG’s managing director of air hub development, said that Jetstar’s move will enable Changi Airport to optimise the use of its aircraft gates in order to meet increasing travel demand, especially during the early morning peak period.
It will also create “headroom” for Jetstar and other airlines to grow at Changi, he added.
“We recognise that Jetstar Asia requires more time to prepare for the relocation to T4. Hence, we have agreed to extend the timeline for its move by five months. With the operational provisions that CAG has committed to support its relocation, Jetstar Asia can be assured that its interests, and those of its passengers, will be met,” he said.
The joint statement added that T4 has ample capacity to support Jetstar’s predominantly narrow-bodied aircraft and reduces the need for bussing operations to remote stands.
Jetstar Asia chief executive Barathan Pasupathi said: “Moving to Terminal 4 is the start of a new chapter. We are committed to continuing to ramp up our operation and plan for future growth, and we appreciate the assurances that CAG have given ahead of this move.”
Fourteen airlines have successfully moved their operations to T4, including Air Asia Group, Cathay Pacific and Korean Air.
T4 reopened on Sept 13 after more than a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic and served about 350,000 passengers in its first month.
Jetstar Asia is jointly owned by Singapore investment company Westbrook Investments and Australian carrier Qantas.
It uses Singapore as its South-east Asia hub, with many of its passengers flying in on longer-haul flights on carriers like Qantas, before taking Jetstar Asia flights within the region.
Observers said Jetstar’s unhappiness with the move had stemmed from its high reliance on connections with other foreign airlines. T1 offers better connectivity to the other terminals than T4, which is located further away.
In July, CAG had said it began engaging Jetstar on relocating to T4 in 2019 before the pandemic, when Changi was experiencing tight capacity during peak hours.
CAG said then that it had studied various scenarios of airline terminal allocation across its four terminals and that the best solution was to move Jetstar to T4, to support both Jetstar’s and other airlines’ growth at Changi.
