Jetstar Pacific enjoys 14.3 percent rise in passengers this year

Hanoi (VNA) – Budget airline Jetstar Pacific is estimated to have served 6.2 million passengers and earned about 9.1 trillion VND (391.3 million USD) in revenue this year, year-on-year increases of 14.3 percent and 27.6 percent, respectively.

Its profit exceeded the yearly target to reach 161 billion VND (7 million USD).

The airline operated more than 40,000 flights in 2018, up 10.8 percent from last year, with passenger load factor gaining 2 percent.

In the third quarter of 2018, the high travel season, Jetstar Pacific saw significant growth in the number of domestic and foreign flyers, expanding 31.7 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively.

In the low season during the final quarter, Jetstar has focused on aircraft maintenance to improve service quality and flight safety and prepare for the Tet holiday, the traditional Vietnamese New Year, when traveller numbers are expected to increase 12 percent year on year.

According to a study by House of Brand, a global research agency, most passengers flying with Jetstar Pacific said the airline’s services were better than what they imagined, while monthly surveys showed that some 99 percent of Jetstar Pacific passengers were satisfied with the carrier’s service quality and ready to fly with it again.

Jetstar Pacific, whose two major shareholders are Vietnam Airlines and Australia-based Qantas Group, was Vietnam’s first first budget airline when it was established under the name Pacific Airlines in 1990. It operates about 750 flights each week that connect 16 destinations in Vietnam and 180 others in 18 countries and territories around the world.

It was awarded the highest seven-star safety ranking from the world’s safety and product rating agency AirlineRatings.com in October, alongside national flag carrier Vietnam Airlines.

Earlier this week, the airline announced it will add more than 80,000 seats on domestic flights to meet peak travel demand during the Tet holiday. –VNA