Goodbye Jetstar Asia: Final flights land bringing 20 years of history to a close
July 31, 2025
Jetstar Asia’s final flights have touched down, closing the door on a 20-year legacy.
The last Jetstar Asia flight to land was 3K764, the returning service from Manila to Singapore, operated by a 14-year-old Airbus A320 with tail number 9V-JSI.
Qantas took the decision to close down its Jetstar Asia subsidiary in early June, citing rising operating costs and poor financial performance.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore, Jetstar Asia’s CEO, John Simeone, said, “It is a sad and emotional day. I’ve been in the crew lounge since 5.30 am this morning to see off all the crew, and I’ll be here tonight to welcome our last flight from Manila.”
Crew operating the final flights gave heartwarming farewells to the passengers on board as they flew in their Jetstar uniforms for the last time.
The aircraft will be redeployed to Australia and New Zealand, with nine going to Jetstar and four to QantasLink. Qantas will take a financial hit from the move, estimated at around AU$175 million ($114 million), which will be spread over the financial years 2025 and 2026.
The closure of Jetstar Asia has seen 500 Singapore-based employees laid off. The Straits Times reports that over half of the job applications made by these 500 staff have already led to new job offers or interviews.
Jetstar Asia’s final flights
Jetstar Asia had said it would be gradually winding down its flights as the closure date approached. However, on its final day of flights today, eight of its 13 aircraft were operational.
Already phased out were the Airbus A320s with tail numbers 9V-JSM, JSN, JSO, JSV and JSX. Their final flights took place between 9 July and 28 July, although none of the aircraft have been re-registered to Jetstar Australia yet.
Today, 9V-JSI, JSJ, JSK, JSL, JSQ, JSR, JSU and JSY all operated services on Jetstar’s final day.
The last Jetstar Asia flight to leave Singapore’s Changi Airport was 3K685 to Kuala Lumpur, which departed at 15:30 local time, arriving in KUL just after 16:00. Operating the flight was 9V-JSQ, which had a celebratory send-off from ground crew in SIN.
Last Flight of @Jetstar_Asia operating from Singapore after 20 years of operations here on SG. Singapore to Kuala Lumpur on 31-Jul-25 3K685. It was nostalgic for everyone who served also for passengers. Msg of the Captain, Chief Flight attendant and staff waiving from outside. 👍 pic.twitter.com/WSjWN3Vxjy
— Lokesh Kalra (@lokeshkalra) July 31, 2025
First to arrive back in Singapore on its final flight was JSK, arriving from Denpasar at 13:40. The other services touched down one by one, flying in from Colombo, Phuket, Kuala Lumpur, Wuxi, Labuan Bajo and Surabaya.
The very last flight was operated by 9V-JSI, a 14-year-old Airbus A320, which flew in from Manila and landed in Singapore at 21:19.
The 20-year history of Jetstar Asia
Jetstar Asia Airways, founded on 19 November 2004, began operations from Singapore’s Changi Airport on 13 December 2004 with its inaugural flight to Hong Kong.
In July 2005, Jetstar Asia merged with the local low‑cost carrier Valuair to form the holding company Orange Star, consolidating operations under both brands while pursuing network expansion and financial synergies. Over time, as protectionist aviation policies opened in Indonesia, Jetstar absorbed Valuair completely and ceased the latter’s brand in October 2014, consolidating all operations under Jetstar Asia.
Jetstar Asia was profitable in just six out of its twenty years of operation. Struggling under intense competition from other low‑cost carriers in Asia, as well as rising airport and operational costs in Singapore, it could never consistently stay in the black.
Despite profitability issues, Jetstar Asia can be seen as a successful venture. It survived for over 20 years, while many low-cost Asian startups have come and gone. It built a recognisable brand in a crowded market, and maintained excellent on time performance and load factors throughout its operation.
The end of Jetstar Asia marks not just the end of a chapter for Singapore aviation, but also a reflection of the tough economics facing mid-sized carriers in a hyper-competitive market. As its engines spool down for the last time, its crew should take pride in what they have achieved over the past two decades.
