Broome blindsided as Jetstar Asia closure axes town's only international flight

West Australian

11-06-2025

Broome's first international flight route in years is set to vanish, with Jetstar Asia to cease operations and take the town's short-lived Singapore connection with it — a move Broome International Airport chief executive Craig Shaw said came without warning and could dent hopes of growing ties with Asia.
Mr Shaw said Qantas' decision to shut down its Singapore-based budget carrier, which has operated seasonal flights between Broome and Singapore since June last year, had 'come out of the blue'.
He described the move as 'disappointing' and a blow to the region's aspirations of boosting international tourism and business.
'It's been great to see the tourism trade in in Singapore starting to bring group bookings here to the region and it's such a shame to see it come to a shorter end than was anticipated,' he said.
The seasonal-only service, which operated twice a week during dry season connecting Southeast Asia to the iconic tourist town, is set to end after its last flight on July 29.
Given the airport wasn't anticipating the move, Mr Shaw said hopes for quickly securing an alternative carrier would have to be tempered.
'We weren't having any conversations with anybody else at this stage in terms of alternatives for this route,' he said.
'There are some potential options for that, but they're limited in terms of carriers that are based out of Singapore that would want to do a Singapore-Broome connection.
'We will no doubt be having conversations with airlines to see if there's an option for an alternative but the likelihood of that occurring this season is minimal. Beyond that, it will require some additional ongoing support from the State Government to make it a reality.'
Announcing the closure, Qantas said the Jetstar Asia had faced growing challenges in recent years due to 'rising supplier costs, high airport fees, and intensified competition in the region'.
According to Jetstar Asia, the Broome to Singapore route had also been significantly under performing with flights only at half capacity and was mostly servicing Broome locals flying to Singapore.
Mr Shaw pushed back on the claim and said the service had steadily been growing in popularity and hadn't been given enough time to establish itself.
'It's disappointing that it didn't have more time to demonstrate its continued growth, particularly among the trade industry in Singapore and the wider international trade community,' he said.
'The fact that it only operated for two shortened seasons, in our view, didn't give it adequate time to prove its worth.
'For us it was building and the awareness of it was growing. It was operating in a crowded marketplace in Singapore, and so it takes time for the awareness of the destination to grow inside that market,' he said.
The move won't affect the airport's bottom line, as the route was always subsidised by both the airport and the State Government, which backed it in 2024 through the $75 million Aviation Recovery Fund.
'We were putting significant funds behind the operation of the flights to help incentivise the airline to operate the route in the short term, until such time as it had the ability to become sustainable in its own right,' Mr Shaw said.
'That was always going to take some time. We're aware of that, as was the State Government when they supported it.'
A Jetstar Asia spokesperson said it was a difficult decision for the company to make.
'We regret any impacts to the local tourism industry due to the flying season ending earlier than expected,' the spokesperson said.
'We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience this has caused, and all impacted customers have been offered full cash refunds so they can make alternative travel arrangements.'
Broome locals lamented the oncoming closure of the flight route on social media, with one saying, 'Another good reason to leave Broome.'
'There goes my holiday plans,' wrote another.
'Sad that this has happened . . . I sort of felt one flight a week would be adequate, and it would hopefully survive,' added a third.
Qantas will cop a $175 million blow to its bottom line due to the closure but said the strategic restructure will allow it to divert up to $500m in fleet capital into its more profitable core domestic and international services.
The group did not reveal the number of jobs affected but said it was working to find workers other job opportunities across the group and with other airlines in the region.
However, Qantas expects the restructure will create 100 jobs in Australia as the A320s replace leased aircraft in Jetstar Airways' domestic operation.
Four of the 13 aircraft will also help fast-track fleet renewal in Qantas' regional operations that service fly-in, fly-out operations in WA's powerhouse resources sector.
Qantas Group chief executive Vanessa Hudson said she was 'incredibly proud' of the Jetstar Asia crew.
'Jetstar Asia has been a pioneering force in the Asian aviation market for more than 20 years, making air travel accessible to millions of customers across Southeast Asia,' she said.
'We are incredibly proud of the Jetstar Asia team and the work they have done to deliver low fares, strong operational performance and exceptional customer service.
'This is a very tough day for them. Despite their best efforts, we have seen some of Jetstar Asia's supplier costs increase by up to 200 per cent, which has materially changed its cost base.'