Budget carrier Jetstar Asia announced that it will completely cease flights on July 31, 2025. The parent company Qantas explained the decision with rapidly increasing fuel costs, ground services, and safety at Singapore airport, as well as intense competition with low-cost airlines Scoot, AirAsia, and VietJet. Over twenty years of operation, Jetstar Asia has been profitable only six times, and the expected loss for the current financial year is estimated at A$35 million (approximately 355 billion rupiahs).
With Jetstar Asia's exit, Indonesia loses direct flights from Denpasar, Jakarta, Surabaya, Labuan Bajo, and especially the important Medan–Singapore route, which will now require long layovers.
The Ministry of Transport has demanded official notification of the carrier's liquidation, assurance of full refunds, and the arrangement of passenger transfers to other Qantas group flights. About 500 staff will lose their jobs, but Qantas promises severance pay, and 13 Airbus A320 aircraft will be reallocated to routes in Australia and New Zealand, where more than a hundred new vacancies will open. Changi Airport is preliminarily estimated to lose up to 3% of its passenger traffic.
For Bali residents and visitors, one of the key budget options on the Singapore–Denpasar route disappears, and reduced competition is likely to drive prices up. Passengers with tickets for dates after July 31 will be offered a refund or transfer. Instead, consider Scoot, recognized as the best long-haul low-cost airline in 2024, as well as AirAsia Indonesia. For those who are willing to pay extra for service, full-service Singapore Airlines and Garuda Indonesia are available. Tickets for popular dates should be purchased in advance, and as an alternative route, consider connecting through Kuala Lumpur.
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