Queenstown Airport welcomed its first Jetstar International flight today with the arrival of JQ219 at 2pm.

The traditional water cannon spray of the aircraft heralded the occasion.

On welcoming the flight, Steve Sanderson, CEO, Queenstown Airport, said, "We are delighted to see Jetstar become an international carrier into Queenstown. Its international services will be a major contribution to the 25% increase in international visitors we are expecting to visit this summer."

Tomorrow will see the arrival of the first-time Jetstar service from the Gold Coast.

“Opening up a new route from the Gold Coast is also great to see. The Gold Coast is a hub airport for Jetstar, and has extensive direct connections from Japan and South-East Asia,” said Mr Sanderson. “A convenient link to Queenstown is now available, and I am sure this will stimulate the Japanese and Asian markets which have been relatively challenging over recent years”.

"The advantages are two-way. The convenience will certainly appeal to the many South islanders who enjoy traveling to the Gold Coast for sun and surf,” he said.

Jetstar Australia & NZ Chief Executive Officer David Hall said: “Our new services to Queenstown are already proving to be extremely popular for Australians seeking direct, hassle-free, low fare flights to New Zealand’s spectacular South Island.”

Jetstar has also expanded its Auckland-Queenstown connections, with its current daily service to grow to 11 per week from today, 16 December.

Background:
The new services represent growth in Queenstown capacity by more than 50 percent bringing the total number of Jetstar low fare domestic and international services to 22 weekly return services. Jetstar now offers a total of 7,700 seats per week to the popular South Island destination from four domestic and international destinations.

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Picture Caption: Q219, the 1stJetstar International Flight Arriving in Queenstown today
Thursday, December 16, 2010.

ENDS

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