Australian LCC Jetstar plans to add a third route to the Japanese city of Osaka in April, complementing its existing service from Cairns and upcoming flights from Brisbane.

The airline will connect Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (SYD) and Osaka Kansai International Airport (KIX) three times per week from April 1, 2024, operating using its fleet of 11 Boeing 787-8 aircraft. The move sees the Qantas subsidiary return to the market after a 15-year absence.

“This is the eighth international service we’ve launched or announced in the past year and our third new service between Australia and Japan,” Jetstar Group CEO Stephanie Tully says.

Plans for the new 4,831-mi. (4,198-nm) route come five months after Jetstar signaled its intention to start flying between Brisbane Airport (BNE) and KIX. Flights will be offered four times per week from Feb. 2, 2024, becoming the LCC’s second route to the Japanese city alongside its 5X-weekly service from Cairns.

The airline says the arrival of more Airbus A321LRs means the carrier has been able to redeploy its 787s and further grow its international network. Jetstar has a fleet of nine A321LRs and expects to take delivery of nine more by the end of 2024.

“The launch of this new [Sydney] service means Jetstar will be the only airline to fly from Osaka to Sydney, Brisbane and Cairns—the three most popular cities for Japanese tourists,” Tully adds.

Jetstar will become the sole operator of nonstop Sydney-Osaka flights once the route begins, according to data provided by OAG Schedules Analyser. Qantas had previously served the route between December 2017 and March 2020, but it has not been reinstated in the Oneworld alliance member’s network since the pandemic.

Sabre Market Intelligence figures show that O&D traffic between Sydney and Osaka totaled about 102,000 two-way passengers in 2019, equating to around 140 passengers per day each way.

Currently, there are three nonstop services between Sydney and Japan, with All Nippon Airways operating double-daily flights to SYD from Tokyo Haneda International Airport (HND), and Japan Airlines and Qantas each providing daily SYD-HND flights. Meanwhile, Osaka has just one nonstop flight to Australia through Jetstar’s service to Cairns.

Jetstar's recent expansion plans follow the inauguration of its service between BNE and Tokyo Narita International Airport in late October. Initially operating at 5X-weekly frequencies using 787s, the service is set to increase to daily flights in December. In February, BNE will gain two more international services, with flights to Osaka starting on Feb. 2, a day after the launch of a route to Seoul Incheon International Airport.