Antonio Manaytay Tech 10.23.2022 14:Oct PM EDT

Jetstar Refuses to Budge, Will Continue to Fly Out From T1 of Changi Airport

Jetstar Asia refused to budge and will continue to fly out from T1 of Changi Airport, at least for now.

The Australian low-cost carrier continues to reject the decision by Changi Airport Group (CAG) that it has to relocate to the newly refurbished T4 beginning Oct. 25.

CAG officials announced on Friday, Oct. 21, that 16 airlines, Jetstar is among them, will have to relocate to T4 to serve the growing volume of passengers better. The terminal reopened on Sept. 13, and Jetstar was slated to move on Oct. 25.

Jetstar, however, contested the CAG order saying it had arrived unilaterally.

Jetstar Wants to Stay in T1

The reason why Jetstar stays in T1 instead of moving to T4 is more of an operation that has to do with its financial bottom line.

The Australian low-cost airline loves T1 because of its connectivity with other foreign airlines.

From the operational standpoint, Jetstar would be disadvantaged if it moved from T1 to T4. The airline is better positioned in T1, giving the airline more traffic volume to many Southeast Asian cities. T1 also connects Jetstar better to other airlines: Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways, Emirates, and Qantas.

Pre-pandemic showed Jetstar accounted for some 66 percent of the T1 total seat capacity.

'Announcement Soon'

A CAG official, The Strait Times reported on Sunday, Oct. 23, said the airport officials will be releasing an "announcement soon."

And if that soon is not either on Monday or Tuesday, Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, respectively, it could only mean the scheduled transfer from T1 to T4 will not happen according to the schedule.

The official said an agreement has yet to be forged between CAG and Jetstar.

While the negotiation between the airport authorities and the airline was completed, the discussion results were not released to the public.

T4 Opens on Sept. 13

On July 22, CAG announced the reopening of T4, and some 16 airlines had to relocate based on their respective transfer schedules.

The airport officials said the demand for travel rebounds had required the transfer of the 16 airlines to decongest Terminals 1, 2, and 3.

On Sept. 13, T4 reopened just in time for the reopening of T2 in October. The CAG official told The Strait Times.

The reopening of these terminals will return Changi Airport to pre-COVID pandemic level. Changi's handling capacity is 70 million passengers annually.

Consulting firm Sobie Aviation's data showed that Singapore Changi Airport is the busiest in Asia, past the previous leader Hong Kong.

CAG Talks With Airlines

CAG had discussed the transfer with 16 airlines since July when the airport authorities released the list.

Other airlines had already transferred to T4 according to their schedules of the transfer, except Jetstar. The Australian low-cost carrier insisted they were not consulted when CAG made the decision,

Jetstar, the last on the list to transfer on Oct.25, refused to budge. As the schedule of the transfer nears, Jetstar and Changi Airport officials have not yet reached an agreement.