A low-cost airline’s inaugural flight between the Sunshine Coast and one of Australia’s most popular tourism destinations has touched down.
Last night marked the maiden flight by Jetstar from Cairns to Sunshine Coast Airport, with the new service to operate up to four times a week.
The new route will provide more than 71,000 low-fares seats between the destinations for travellers every year.
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To coincide with the launch, Jetstar has one-way sale fares between Cairns and the Sunshine Coast from $69 available online for today only.
It comes ahead of Jetstar also introducing the Sunshine Coast Airport’s first year-round trans-Tasman service, with flights to and from Auckland three times weekly starting next week.
Jetstar’s executive manager, customer, Jenn Armor said the airline was excited to be offering the flights in time for Christmas.
“Cairns and the Sunshine Coast are two of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations – with stunning beaches, swimming spots and scenery,” she said.
“These new flights are expected to be popular with both interstate and overseas tourists and we thank the Queensland Government, and the Sunshine Coast and Cairns airports, for their ongoing support of low-fares travel.”
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Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Chris Mills welcomed the new service, highlighting its positive impact on Queensland’s tourism industry.
“This new route brings people closer together, providing families with an easy, affordable way to be together over the holiday season and beyond,” he said.
“It supports Queensland’s tourism industry by connecting domestic and international travellers with two great destinations.
“This allows them to stay longer, spend more, and explore the regions.”
Sunshine Coast mayor Rosanna Natoli also welcomed the new route between the holiday hot spots.
“The flight connection from the Sunshine Coast to Cairns is a big win for Queensland,” she said.
“The state has set the vision for Queensland to be Australia’s destination of choice for domestic and global visitors, and to grow the overnight visitor expenditure to more than $44 billion a year by 2032.
“As Cairns is an important gateway to Australia for international visitors, the direct flight link will also enable more international visitors to connect directly to the Sunshine Coast, which is a significant win for our region.”
Sunshine Coast Airport has welcomed more than 1.8 million passengers through its terminal in the 2023-24 financial year.
It connects the Coast to Adelaide, Auckland, Melbourne, Sydney and now Cairns on five airlines: Air New Zealand, Alliance, Jetstar, Qantas and Virgin Australia.
Sunshine Coast Airport Pty Ltd operates and manages Sunshine Coast Airport under a 99-year lease from Sunshine Coast Council that commenced in December 2017.
