Qantas shuts down Jetstar Asia, eliminating flights from Broome to Singapore
Flights between the West Australian town of Broome and Singapore will cease next month following Qantas' sudden announcement of the closure of Jetstar Asia.
On Wednesday the airline announced flights on the route would cease from July 29.
The announcement was part of the broader closure of the discount airline, which has operated out of Singapore for more than 20 years.
Qantas said about 500 jobs would be lost in Singapore as a result of the closure, but redeployment of aircraft to Australia would create 100 positions domestically.
The service operated twice weekly between April and October for two years and was expected to bring in more than 6,500 passengers to Broome in its first year and boost tourism in the region.
The ABC understands the Jetstar service was significantly underperforming and that flights were half-full.
Booking data showing most passengers using the service were locals from Broome.
The route was the successor to a trial service briefly operated by now-defunct Singapore Airlines subsidiary Silk Air, which ran flights in 2018.
A Jetstar Asia spokesperson said shutting down the service was a "difficult decision".
"We regret any impacts to the local tourism industry due to the flying season ending earlier than expected," they said in a statement.
The flights offered Kimberley residents a direct international route out of WA, negating the need to transfer at Perth.
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