First Newcastle-Singapore service takes off via Bali

newy.com.au – The Hunter region gained a new international gateway on Tuesday, with the inaugural Jetstar service from Newcastle Airport to Singapore via Bali departing at 9.40am.

Passengers and guests gathered from early morning for a launch that featured Singapore Sling mocktails, Singapore-inspired breakfast snacks, a first-flight cake and speeches from Newcastle Airport chair Samantha Martin-Williams, chief executive Linc Horton, Port Stephens Mayor Leah Anderson, Business Hunter chief executive Bob Hawes and Tourism Australia executive general manager strategy and culture Rob Dougan.

For the first time, travellers across the Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast can begin a trip to Singapore from Newcastle, linking into Singapore Changi Airport and its global network of more than 170 destinations.

Ms Martin-Williams said the new route marked a significant step for Newcastle Airport and the economic future of the regions it served. “It connects travellers across the Hunter, Central Coast and Mid North Coast to Singapore Changi Airport and its global network of more than 170 destinations, opening new pathways for tourism, trade and investment,” she said.

She said strong performance on the Bali and Singapore services would bring the airport closer to securing a direct Singapore route.

Mr Horton said the new link meant local travellers could reach Singapore and onward destinations across Asia, Europe and beyond without first going to Sydney. “They say if you build it, they will come; at Newcastle Airport we built an international airport and today the Hunter region is flying to both Bali and Singapore, with more opportunities on the horizon,” he said.

Mr Horton said more than 789,000 passengers travelled between the Hunter and Europe, the Middle East and Asia in the last financial year alone, underlining the scale of the market already using other airports for international travel.

The Singapore extension was announced in November after strong demand for Newcastle’s Bali flights. Jetstar is operating the Newcastle-Bali-Singapore service three times this week on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, before moving to four weekly flights from 29 March, with all services continuing to Singapore via a 90-minute connection in Denpasar.

Jetstar head of network, fleet strategy and planning Ted Knight said the airline was seeing strong demand in the Hunter for more low fares and more choice, and said the Denpasar link gave customers another value option to explore new destinations.

Cr Anderson said the service would boost tourism, business and regional investment, and was travelling on the inaugural flight to Singapore to meet key contacts ahead of Newcastle Airport’s Hunter Trade Mission in September.

Changi Airport Group executive vice president for air hub and cargo development Lim Ching Kiat said the service would make it easier for Singaporeans to visit Newcastle’s beaches and the Hunter Valley wineries, while giving local travellers a more convenient gateway into Asia and Europe. He said Changi was now connected to nine Australian cities.

The new route was also welcomed by the NSW Government and local MPs, with Jobs and Tourism Minister Steve Kamper describing it as another significant step towards the state’s target of 8.5 million new airline seats and $91 billion in annual visitor expenditure by 2035.