Anything but void: A love letter to the ‘living room' of Singapore's HDB blocks
'I feel that these public spaces are very representative of Singaporean culture. They're often overlooked and not being talked about enough. Yes, they are not places that tourists would care about. But many Singaporeans care for them because of the nostalgia factor,' says the 36-year-old.
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Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Jetstar Asia to cease operations from July 31: A timeline of the airline's ‘challenged history'
Jetstar Asia ground staff assisting passengers with check-in at the airline's counter in Changi Airport Terminal 4 on June 11. ST PHOTO: GIN TAY Jetstar Asia to cease operations from July 31: A timeline of the airline's 'challenged history' SINGAPORE – Singapore-based low-cost carrier Jetstar Asia will cease operations after July 31, citing rising costs and tough competition in the region. Australian flag carrier Qantas, which is Jetstar Asia's parent company, said rising costs and stiff competition in the region had 'fundamentally challenged' the budget airline's ability to offer low fares. Jetstar Asia has been profitable for six out of the 20 years it has been operating, said Jetstar Group chief executive Stephanie Tully. She described the airline as having had 'a challenged history', particularly in the last two years. Here's a look back at Jetstar Asia since it took off in 2004: 2004 Qantas announced the launch of a low-cost carrier based in Singapore in April. The $100 million carrier, later named Jetstar Asia, was Singapore's third budget airline after privately owned Valuair and Singapore Airlines-backed Tiger. The airline was owned by Qantas (49.9 per cent), Singapore investment company Temasek Holdings (19 per cent) as well as Singaporean businessmen Tony Chew (21.1 per cent) and Wong Fong Fui (10 per cent). It started out with seven regional destinations - Hong Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Pattaya in Thailand, Shanghai in China, Surabaya in Indonesia, and Taipei. Jetstar Asia made its maiden flight to Hong Kong in December. 2005 Jetstar Asia and Valuair announced a merger, which doubled their existing fleet size to eight Airbus A320 planes. The carriers came together under a single holding company called Orangestar, while retaining their maiden names. Both had struggled to make money in the face of rising fuel costs and reluctance by regional governments to open up their skies to foreign carriers. 2006 Orangestar sought fresh funding of $36 million, having almost exhausted the $60 million that was pumped in at the time of the merger. It said business had suffered from the lack of viable routes and an aggressive competitive landscape with new entrants. 2009 Temasek sold its stake in Jetstar Asia and Valuair to Qantas and Singaporean businessman Dennis Choo, a travel industry veteran. The ownership revamp centred on Orangestar, which was a specially created entity that owned Jetstar Asia and Valuair. Qantas had owned 45 per cent of the firm, with Temasek having a 33.5 per cent stake alongside minority shareholders. The acquisition of Orangestar shares was done via a new holding company, Newstar Investment Holdings. Under the new ownership structure, Qantas owned 49 per cent of the airlines. Mr Choo held 51 per cent via his wholly-owned Singapore-based firm Westbrook Investments, and his share was believed to be worth about $35 million . 2010 Jetstar picked Singapore over rivals Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City as its home in Asia, in a coup for Changi Airport. The carrier nudged into Singapore's long-haul market, previously dominated by full-service carriers such as Singapore Airlines. The new Singapore-Melbourne route was the first long-haul flight offered by a low-cost carrier out of Singapore. 2011 Increased passenger numbers and a wider regional network sent profits soaring, with earnings increasing from $6.9 million for the previous financial year to $18 million for the 12 months ended June 30, 2011. During this period, Jetstar Asia's capacity grew by 46 per cent as it extended its reach to more cities in the region. 2020 Jetstar Asia grounded all of its 18 A 320s in March , as the aviation sector was hammered by the Covid-19 outbreak. The airline asked its 800 employees to take paid and unpaid leave, on top of cancelling bonuses. In June, Jetstar Asia let go about 180 people - 26 per cent of its employees. Most of its remaining staff would stay furloughed until the end of the year. The carrier also retired five aircraft, reducing the total fleet to 13 A320s. 2022 Jetstar Asia agrees in November to relocate its operations to from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4 by March 25, 2023. This came after months of talks between both parties, after the carrier initially rejected Changi Airport's decision to shift its flights to T4. 2023 Jetstar Asia shared plans to hire more than 200 pilots and cabin crew as part of efforts to rebuild capacity post-Covid-19. It also said two more A320 aircraft would join its fleet of seven by the end of 2023. Between 2020 and 2022, the carrier had shed 11 A320s, reducing its fleet size from 18 to seven. 2025 Jetstar Asia announced on June 11 that it would cease operations on July 31 as part of a 'strategic restructure' by its parent company Qantas. Vanessa Paige Chelvan is a correspondent at The Straits Times. She writes about all things transport and pens the occasional commentary. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Straits Times
2 days ago
- Straits Times
Anything but void: A love letter to the ‘living room' of Singapore's HDB blocks
'I feel that these public spaces are very representative of Singaporean culture. They're often overlooked and not being talked about enough. Yes, they are not places that tourists would care about. But many Singaporeans care for them because of the nostalgia factor,' says the 36-year-old.
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Straits Times
Singapore's Frasers ties up with Britain's Yotel in first development project in Japan
The newly opened 244-room Yotel Tokyo Ginza is owned by Singapore's Frasers Hospitality and operated by British lifestyle hotel chain Yotel. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM Singapore's Frasers ties up with Britain's Yotel in first development project in Japan – Singapore's Frasers Hospitality and Britain-based lifestyle hotel chain Yotel on June 9 celebrated several firsts with the official opening of the 244-room Yotel Tokyo Ginza. It marks the first time the two brands have teamed up, Yotel's debut in the Japanese market and Frasers Hospitality's maiden ground-up investment and development project in the country. The Singapore company acquired the land and oversaw the building's construction before handing the operations over to another company. Situated on the periphery of Ginza, the Japanese capital's most prestigious shopping district, the 14-storey boutique hotel offers compact 'cabins' of between 14 sq m and 18 sq m in size, as well as family units comprising two connecting rooms. The hotel is strategically positioned near the Shimbashi district, a haven for salarymen, and the Shiodome business district, which caters to business and leisure travellers alike. This marks a rare ground-up project for Frasers Hospitality, as most of its real estate investments thus far have been the acquisition of existing assets. The company is riding the crest of a boom in both real estate investment and inbound tourism in Japan, which has been a draw for many Singaporean hospitality and real estate firms. Recent and upcoming entrants include Pan Pacific Hotels Group, SC Global, Banyan Group and Capella Hotels & Resorts. This comes as Frasers Hospitality has embarked on what it describes as 'twin engines of growth'. It operates hotels and serviced apartments across seven brands – including Fraser Residence, Capri and Modena – that may be owned by a third-party company. It is also acquiring real estate – plots of undeveloped land as well as ready-built property – that can be operated by another owner. Yotel Tokyo Ginza was one such property constructed on undeveloped land. Mr Jason Leong, Frasers Hospitality's executive director and head of investment and asset management, told The Straits Times that he takes a 'brand-agnostic' approach in assessing potential investments. 'Unlike in the past, when we tend to build a Frasers property on any plot of land that we buy, the priority now is to focus on the best use for a plot of land,' he said. 'We are very returns-driven, and it is about finding the best business model that suits the asset.' In Japan, Frasers Hospitality owns the ANA Crowne Plaza Hotel in Kobe – which was bought in 2014 through a real estate investment trust – as well as a 124-unit premium rental apartment in Osaka, which was acquired in 2023 under a joint venture with Hong Kong-based Alyssa Partners. It separately manages – without owning the real estate – the 114-key Fraser Residence Nankai Osaka, which was built in 2010, and the 170-unit Fraser Place Roppongi Tokyo, which is set to open in early 2026. The collaboration with Yotel was driven by the site's characteristics and market demands, Mr Leong said, adding that percentage returns were in the 'high single digits'. He declined to reveal how much the company invested. He added that Yotel's brand concept of a lifestyle micro-hotel allows them to maximise the number of rooms in a prime real estate location, catering to guests seeking shorter stays. Space constraints made it difficult for Frasers to adapt the site for its brands, which have larger rooms and are more focused on medium- to long-term stays. Yotel Tokyo Ginza was completed four months ahead of schedule and has been open to guests since December 2024 , half a year before its June official opening . A guest room at Yotel Tokyo Ginza. ST PHOTO: WALTER SIM Occupancy has been above 70 per cent, with room rates starting at about 22,000 yen (S$195) a night, including taxes. Rates have, however, soared above 40,000 yen a night during peak travel periods , such as during the height of the cherry blossom season in March and April. This makes Yotel more expensive than other ubiquitous no-frills Japanese business hotel chains, such as APA Hotels. For instance, rates for an 11 sq m room at the nearby APA Hotel Shimbashi-Toranomon range from around 7,000 yen a night in July to 30,200 yen a night in November, based on checks by ST . Yotel markets itself as being ideal for the 'modern urban explorer', with plenty of fun elements. Its reception is dubbed 'Mission Control', while the vibrant social space 'Komyuniti' triples up as a restaurant, lounge and bar with daily happy hour specials. Robots deliver items such as extra towels and bottled water to guest rooms, which are equipped with smart TVs and mechanised beds with adjustable reclining angles. Guests should not expect a very Japanese experience . Rooms are not equipped with amenities that are common in Japanese hotels, such as bathtubs and yukata robes or pyjamas. Toiletries like shampoo and body wash are from Australian beauty brand Urban Jungle, which uses South Korean ingredients. Also, unlike Japanese business hotels which may feel cramped, Yotel's rooms are designed such that guests should not feel claustrophobic, having decent space to store big luggage or roll out a yoga mat to stretch . Given its location, travellers can pop out for late-night ramen in Shimbashi or a nightcap at one of Ginza's many cosy bars. Don Quijote discount chain is around the corner, and those who are young at heart will enjoy shopping at the nearby Hakuhinkan Toy Park. Frasers Hospitality's approach to buying real estate is 'not 100 per cent leisure', said Mr Leong, who added that it looks for 'a good mix of corporate and leisure potential'. If the site were located elsewhere in Tokyo, farther away from the business centre, the company might have walked away, he said. 'Do we believe in the Japan story? Yes, we do,' he said. 'But I'm not going to go all-Japan, I'm not going to Niseko (in Hokkaido), that's not my space.' As for moving into fast-growing second-tier cities such as Fukuoka, Nagoya or Sapporo, Mr Leong said: 'We don't want to spread ourselves too thin. The preference is to have a few more assets concentrated in gateway cities rather than having one asset in each city.' Walter Sim is Japan correspondent at The Straits Times. Based in Tokyo, he writes about political, economic and socio-cultural issues. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
