On May 23, 2024, Jetstar Japan transported its 50 millionth passenger. The milestone came approximately 12 years after the airline commenced operations in July 2012. The 50 millionth passenger traveled on the airline’s flight GK121 from Tokyo Narita to Sapporo New Chitose.
Jetstar Japan is a joint venture between JAL and Qantas, with the former owning 50% and the latter 33.3%. Tokyo Century Corporation owns the remaining 16.7% of the airline, which operated its first flight on July 3, 2012, between Tokyo Narita and Fukuoka.
Today, Jetstar Japan operates 19 domestic routes, primarily from Tokyo Narita. It also operates five international routes including three from Tokyo Narita (Manila, Shanghai Pudong, and Taipei Taoyuan) and one from Nagoya Chubu (Manila) and Osaka Kansai (Shanghai Pudong) each. Its fleet has grown from a pair of Airbus A320-200s to 22 aircraft including 19 A320-200s and three A321LRs.
The airline transported its 10 millionth passenger in 2015, approximately three years after launch. Its 20 millionth followed just under two years later in 2017, and its 30 millionth passenger another year and 10 months later in 2019. With the COVID-19 pandemic bringing the industry to a halt, Jetstar Japan took about three years to reach the 40 million passengers milestone.
Jetstar Japan is the second Japanese “true” low-cost airline to have reached the 50 million passengers milestone after ANA’s subsidiary Peach, which managed to do so in just over 11 years of operation.
