The unseemly squabble between low-cost carrier Jetstar and Singapore Changi Airport is settled. Despite Jetstar's threats that it had no intention of relocating from Terminal 1 to Terminal 4, that is exactly what is happening.

In a statement released yesterday, Changi Airport Group (CAG) confirmed that both Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Airways will operate from Singapore Changi Airport's (Changi) Terminal 4 from March 22nd, 2023. The first Jetstar flight to arrive at Terminal 4 (T4) on March 22nd will be Jetstar Asia 3K766 from Manila, which lands at 00:40. The Airbus A320 then departs as 3K761 at 06:15 on the return leg to Manila.

The first Jetstar Airways long-haul flight departs Changi as JQ8 at 22:10 on the same day, headed for Melbourne International Airport (MEL). It arrives in Melbourne at 08:30 the following day and then returns as JQ7, landing at Changi at 20:10. Currently, the route operates with a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, one of eleven in the Jetstar fleet.

What does Jetstar Asia think?

In a statement sent to Simple Flying, Jetstar Asia CEO Barathan Pasupathi said the move represents a new chapter for the Jetstar Group and that the airline remains committed to delivering great travel experiences for its customers. He added:

"By relocating as a Group, combined with the assurance provided by CAG, customers will experience seamless connectivity while we continue to extend our excellent product offering to our premium airline partners."

The importance of keeping the Jetstar Group together at Changi cannot be underestimated. Passengers arriving from Australia on the Jetstar 787-8 service need to seamlessly connect to Jetstar Asia's network, and the best way to do that is by operating from the same terminal.

Will the A321XLR fly to Changi?

Jetstar, a Qantas group airline, has both the Airbus A321LR and A321XLR on order and the XLR, in particular, opens up a range of possibilities for long-haul flights with single-aisle economics. Former Jetstar CEO Gareth Evans often talked about using the XLRs during the day on Australian domestic routes and shuttling them off to Asia overnight before resuming domestic services again the following day.

Now that new CEO Stephanie Tully is on the flight deck, it will be interesting to see how she sees the A321XLRs and international routes meshing together. Data from ch-aviation.com shows Jetstar's narrowbody fleet includes 58 A320-200s, six A321-200s and one A321neo, while the Jetstar Asia fleet has seven Airbus A320-200s.

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Jetstar is expanding its SE Asia network

Singapore is a popular hub for both carriers, with Jetstar Asia set to operate more than 200 weekly services in and out of T4. From its Changi base, the airline's primary destinations are Bali (Denpasar), Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Phnom Penh. From Australia, Jetstar Airways is running services six times a week between Singapore and Melbourne, carrying more than 200,000 passengers per year on the route.

In November, Jetstar Asia received approval to operate 21 extra weekly services from Singapore to Bangkok, Bali, Penang, Phnom Penh and Phuket. These additional services and all of Jetstar's flights will continue to operate out of Terminal 1 until March next year. The extra flights in Southeast Asia are:

• Bangkok: Services will increase from 9 to 17 flights a week.
• Bali: Five additional weekly services will operate to Denpasar (DPS), bringing the total weekly flights to fourteen.
• Phnom Penh: One additional service will be added to Phnom Penh, giving passengers a daily flight from Singapore to choose from.
• Penang: Two additional flights will be added to Singapore - Penang.
• Phuket: Five additional services will be added on flights to Thailand's resort destination of Phuket.

T4 is back in business

After a two-year break for COVID, T4 reopened in September this year and has handled more than one million passenger movements since then. T4 has 21 contact gates, of which 17 are for narrowbody aircraft, and the terminal is fitted with Changi's Fast and Seamless Travel (FAST) check-in system. Since its reopening, fourteen airlines have moved their operations to T4.

• 

  Singapore Changi Airport

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  SIN/WSSS

  Country:

  Singapore

  CEO:

  Lee Seow Hiang

  Passenger Count :

  3,053,000 (2021)

  Runways :

  02L/20R - 4,000m (13,123ft) | 02C/20C - 4,000m (13,123ft) | 02R/20L - 4,000m (13,123ft)

  Terminals:

  Terminal 1 | Terminal 2 | Terminal 3 | Terminal 4 | JetQuay CIP Terminal