Summary
- Jetstar’s new nonstop flight from Sydney to Busselton Margaret River offers easy access to Western Australia’s popular region.
- The route will operate three times weekly, with seats as low as AU$135 one way, making Margaret River more accessible.
- Jetstar continues to expand its network, connecting major Australian cities to popular destinations for travelers.
When Australia’s newest domestic airline, Bonza, launched in 2023, it set a clear strategy of connecting destinations that did not have nonstop flights or were not served by a low-cost carrier. Since then, Australians have seen many new routes launched by all six domestic airlines, and today it was Jetstar’s turn to start another.
Nonstop flights are the way to grow routes
Western Australia is well known for its endless summers, pristine beaches, and world-renowned wineries and surf beaches in the Margaret River region. Starting today, travelers from Sydney or those arriving on international flights can fly nonstop for the first time ever to Busselton Margaret River, thanks to Jetstar’s new service that took off this morning.
Photo: Jetstar
On March 26, Jetstar flight JQ898 departed Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) a few minutes late at 11:23. The operating aircraft was a 2013 Airbus A320-200, registration VH-YXW and MSN 05796, that landed at Busselton Margaret River Airport (BQB) at 13:04 after a 4:42 hour flight across the country.
The new service from Sydney complements the existing nonstop flight from Melbourne to Busselton Margaret River, offering travelers from Australia’s two largest cities a quick and easy Jetstar flight to one of the most popular destinations in Western Australia.
Photo: Ryan Fletcher I Shutterstock
The route will initially operate three times weekly on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday, and from April 1, the Tuesday flight will switch to Monday. The return service, flight JQ899, will operate on the same days with a scheduled departure from Busselton Margaret River at 13:55 to arrive in Sydney at 21:00.
Building from the East Coast
The new route will offer more than 50,000 low-cost seats each year between Sydney and the Margaret River region, with Jetstar the only airline offering direct commercial flights from Melbourne Airport (MEL) and Sydney to Busselton. Jetstar Executive Manager Jenn Armor said the launch of the new Sydney service comes just ahead of next month’s second anniversary of Jetstar flying from Melbourne to Busselton Margaret River.
“Close to two years ago Jetstar began flying from Melbourne to Busselton Margaret River and following the success of those flights, which have carried over 100,000 passengers so far, we’re excited to launch the only direct flights from Sydney to WA’s stunning South West. Holidaymakers from Sydney will be able to fly direct to Margaret River in about five hours for as low as AU$135 [$90] one way making the region far more accessible from the Harbour City.”
Photo: Sudpoth Sirirattanasakul | Shutterstock
According to ch-aviation, the Airbus A320 operating today’s inaugural flight was first delivered to Jetstar Japan on October 12, 2013, after taking its first flight on September 24, 2013. It was initially registered in Japan as JA18JJ until December 2020, when the tail number was changed to VH-YXW and joined the Jetstar Airways fleet in October 2021.
Approaching its 20th anniversary, Jetstar took its first flight in 2004 and since then has flown more than 350 million passengers across its extensive international and domestic network. The Jetstar Group comprises Jetstar Airways, the low-cost subsidiary of the Qantas Group, in Australia and New Zealand, Jetstar Asia in Singapore and Jetstar Japan in Japan.
Have you flown on a Jetstar A320 recently? Let us know in the comments.
