Apart from the prospect of rising fares, the loss of Jetstar Asia also means that there will be four exclusive routes that will no longer be served – as things currently stand.
Of the 16 destinations Jetstar Asia serves, 12 are also served by 18 other airlines, but four – Broome in Australia, Labuan Bajo in Indonesia, Okinawa in Japan and Wuxi in China – are not.
“Their exit will mean some of these points will be left without any direct links to Singapore,” said Mr Chua.
“This in turn impacts, in some way, Changi’s plans to grow its international city pairs.”
During the groundbreaking ceremony for Terminal 5 last month, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said that Changi Airport aims to grow its city links from over 170 currently to more than 200 in the mid-2030s.
Mr Chua said the closure of Jetstar Asia is unlikely to affect plans for Terminal 5 since it is not a very big player in Singapore. He added that the airline was also unlikely to move to the new terminal.
CAN THE GAP BE FILLED?
Mr Mayur Patel, head of Asia at aviation data consultancy OAG Aviation, said that the closure of Jetstar Asia will leave a temporary gap in Changi Airport’s passenger capacity and number of scheduled flights.
According to Changi Airport Group, Jetstar Asia operates about 180 weekly services at the airport.
In 2024, the airline carried approximately 2.3 million passengers at Changi Airport, accounting for about 3 per cent of Changi’s total passenger traffic that year.
“I would say those slots can be replaced but that will take time under the current conditions,” he said.
These conditions include supply delays in new aircraft, which has held airlines back on their expansion plans, as well as the relatively higher airport fees at Changi.
He said that some of the capacity may be replaced by Indian or Chinese carriers, which are seeing high traffic volumes from their respective markets into Singapore.
“There will be repivoting and shifting of airlines that will take up those slots,” he said.
He added that Terminal 4, which Jetstar Asia operates out of, would “feel a bit empty” in the meantime.
