Jetstar bulks up capacity to the Philippines as demand for Asia travel takes off

The Philippines is about to see a lot more Australian visitors, with Jetstar banking on the island nation to be the next Asian hotspot.

Jetstar is banking on the Philippines as the next big Asian hotspot, with the addition of thousands more seats on new routes including Perth-Manila and Brisbane-Cebu.

It follows approvals for additional capacity by the International Air Services Commission, which will see Jetstar operating three services a week on both routes using 232-seat A321LRs.

Jetstar executive manager of commercial planning Lyle Brownscombe says they expected to launch the new flights later this year.

“These will be brand-new routes for Jetstar, and we expect the flights will be really popular, with the Philippines renowned for having some of the best nightlife and beaches in the world,” said Mr Brownscombe.

“2025 is shaping up to be a huge year of network growth for Jetstar, with new A321LR aircraft giving us a lot more flexibility and helping open up more budget friendly holiday options for Aussies travellers.”

Cebu in the Philippines is about to see more Australians with Jetstar adding the island to its destination network from November. Picture: iStock

Australian Travel Industry Association chief executive Dean Long said he didn’t think the Philippines was going to “knock over Bali” as Australia’s favourite leisure destination, but there was potential for growth.

“It’s a new destination, we know people are chasing value, and we know that the Philippines have some good low-cost carriers flying in there so we are expecting to see some leisure travel pick up but at the moment it’s still primarily a visiting friends and relatives market,” said Mr Long.

“Bali has a repeat visitation which is probably the most resilient of any country that Australians visit, so there’s a long way to go for the Philippines to challenge Bali in any meaningful way.”

The new flights will only add to the record airline capacity between Australia and Asia that has erupted since the pandemic, in response to demand for “value destinations”.

Data from Flight Centre Corporate Traveller shows the number of airline seats available between Australian ports and Asian destinations is now as much as three times that of 2019.

In comparison, global flight capacity has only just ticked over pre-pandemic levels.

India has seen the most growth in airline seats from Australia, due to the relatively limited number of direct flights pre-Covid, and is now at 346 per cent of 2019 figures.

Other big winners from airline capacity increases include Vietnam at 263 per cent and South Korea at 153 per cent of pre-pandemic numbers.

Malaysia Airlines is adding more capacity to Australian routes, including flights to Brisbane and a third daily service to Sydney and Melbourne from November. Picture: istock

Malaysia was also set to gain more airline seats as Malaysia Airlines returned to Brisbane in November and added a third daily flight from Kuala Lumpur to Sydney and Melbourne.

Mr Long said the popularity of southeast Asia was unlikely to wane anytime soon, with the Australian dollar struggling against the US dollar and euro.

“What we’re finding is the value people are receiving across southeast Asia is really high and that’s what people are looking for,” he said.

“I think it’s coming at the expense of some of the domestic travel as well, which is not in a position to compete with the really good experiences and value for money you can get across southeast Asia.”

Flight Centre Corporate Traveller managing director Tom Walley said it was not only holiday-makers filling seats to Asia, with booming demand from corporates as well.

“Our data also shows Singapore at 107 per cent of pre-pandemic capacity and Indonesia at 128 per cent, further cementing both markets as important gateways into Asia and top corporate travel destinations,” Mr Walley said.

Overseas departure statistics for February had Asia-Pacific destinations filling all but one of the top ten spots, with the US the exception at eighth, down from third at the same time last year.

Originally published as Jetstar bulks up capacity to the Philippines as demand for Asia travel takes off