Latest news with #JetstarAsia
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CNA
2 days ago
- Business
- CNA
Deep Dive - Great Eastern suspends Mount Elizabeth pre-authorisation - time to relook how health insurance is managed?
Play When insurer Great Eastern suspended pre-authorisation for admission to Mount Elizabeth hospitals, it raised questions about the way health insurance is managed in Singapore. With increased medical bills and insurance premiums, who is paying for what and where are the gaps? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with Associate Professor Jeremy Lim of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant. Deep Dive - Great Eastern suspends Mount Elizabeth pre-authorisation - time to relook how health insurance is managed? When insurer Great Eastern suspended pre-authorisation for admission to Mount Elizabeth hospitals, it raised questions about the way health insurance is managed in Singapore. With increased medical bills and insurance premiums, who is paying for what and where are the gaps? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with Associate Professor Jeremy Lim of Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health and Dr Yoong Siew Lee, a health services consultant. 25 mins Deep Dive - Jetstar Asia closure: Are the days of cheap fares over? Jetstar Asia will cease operations on Jul 31, a move unsurprising to experts because the low-cost carrier was struggling to turn a profit in a tough aviation market. Otelli Edwards speaks to Shukor Yusof from aviation consultancy Endau Analytics and Dr Nitin Pangarkar from NUS Business School to find out what the future holds. 20 mins Deep Dive - Is Singapore's electric vehicle infrastructure catching up with demand? Electric vehicle sales hit a new high in the first three months of 2025, accounting for 40 per cent of total car registrations. Yet concerns about charging networks and capacity remain. Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with transport economist Walter Theseira and Stephanie Tan, CEO of EV-Electric Charging. 25 mins Deep Dive - Calling 995? You may be rerouted to the NurseFirst helpline instead – here's how it works Non-life-threatening 995 calls will be directed to NurseFirst, a triage helpline, under a six-month nationwide trial aimed at easing the burden on emergency services. How exactly does it work, and will the public adapt? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards find out from Col Dr David Pflug, chief medical officer of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Dr Jade Kua, clinical lead for the NurseFirst helpline and senior consultant at the emergency medicine department in Woodlands Health. 18 mins
New Paper
3 days ago
- Business
- New Paper
'I still can't get over it': Flight, cabin crew mull over new course after Jetstar Asia closure
Ms Vicky Wee, a flight attendant, has spent most of her working life in the sky. She started flying in her early 20s, fulfilling a childhood dream. Now 65, she has racked up 42 years of experience in a role she describes as "a passion for flying". The in-flight customer service manager told The Straits Times that her favourite part of the job is "meeting all sorts of people, interacting with them". She joined Jetstar Asia 13 years ago, after more than 28 years with Singapore Airlines (SIA). Asked how she felt about Jetstar Asia's looming closure, Ms Wee paused, visibly emotional. "It's very sad. I still can't get over it," she said. The Singapore-based low-cost carrier announced on June 11 that it would cease operations - more than 20 years since its maiden flight in December 2004. It will continue to operate flights out of Singapore with a reduced schedule until its final day of operations on July 31. More than 500 Singapore-based employees will be laid off when the airline closes. This includes over 100 pilots and nearly 300 cabin crew members. Ms Wee is determined to remain in the airline business. "I still have a passion for flying," she said, though she is unsure if her age will affect her job prospects. She has applied to be a part-time cabin crew member at Scoot, SIA's low-cost arm, after visiting a job fair held for retrenched employees at Jetstar Asia's office at Changi Airport Terminal 1. "I'm still fit, so why not?" she quipped. More than 300 employees visited the job fair, held from June 17 to 19. Flight attendant Vicky Wee has racked up 42 years of experience in a role she describes as "a passion for flying". ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Nearly 40 employers from a mix of industries, from aviation and aerospace to public transport and hospitality, had come together in an effort to match Jetstar Asia staff with new jobs. It was organised by the National Trades Union Congress' (NTUC) Aerospace and Aviation cluster, NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute, the Singapore Manual and Mercantile Workers' Union, the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore, and Jetstar Asia. NTUC said the fair featured more than 450 roles, including positions for pilots, cabin crew, customer service, engineering, and safety and quality assurance. Ms Cindy Yap, Jetstar Asia's head of people, thanked colleagues across the aviation industry and beyond for their support. "We've been overwhelmed by the response from employers wanting to come along to this week's job fair and speak to our people," Ms Yap said. 'I thought I'd finish my career here': Captain Pilot Yohan Janeau, 38, was enjoying breakfast with family on June 11 when he found out about Jetstar Asia's closure. "Honestly, I couldn't believe it," the Frenchman told ST. "I knew we weren't profitable. But to the point of closing the airline... it came as a shock." His first thought was for his family. After moving countries four times in five years, Captain Janeau was looking forward to some stability for his wife and children, aged eight and five. "Beyond the impact on employees, their families are also very impacted... the children, the wives, everyone." He did not have much time that day to process the shock with his family. About two hours after he received the news about the airline's closure, he got a call. A captain rostered to operate a turnaround flight to Phuket that day had decided that he was not fit to fly, being too emotional after hearing the news. Capt Janeau stepped up to take over the flight. When he landed at Terminal 4 later that day, he was met with "sadness and tears" from other employees, who had gathered to support one another. "It's not easy," said the pilot, who first joined Jetstar Asia in 2013 and was promoted to captain in 2017. He got married in Singapore, where his first child was also born. Captain Yohan Janeau noted that the closure impacted not only the airline's staff but also their families. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI He left the airline in 2018, to care for his sick mother, but rejoined in August 2024 after stints in other airlines and even the French air force. His family had been excited to return. "Singapore is where I thought my life would be for the next 20 years... We consider this our home," Capt Janeau said. "I really thought that this would be my last move, and that I would finish my career here," he added. He has applied for positions at SIA and Scoot, in the hope that his family can remain in Singapore, where his wife, also French, has found a job as a marketing and communications manager, and his children enjoy their school. "I was very happy to see that the SIA Group stepped in (to offer jobs to pilots and cabin crew). Hopefully, it applies to foreigners like me," he said. The SIA Group said on June 13 that it would create positions for retrenched Jetstar Asia employees across its airlines, including 100 jobs for pilots and 200 for cabin crew. A spokesperson for the company said its aim is to support as many affected employees as possible in continuing their careers in the aviation sector. Ms Wee, the flight attendant, said that while the overall mood among her colleagues has been sombre, they remain committed to their jobs and the airline until the inevitable end. "I say, brace for it and move forward... Do your best, whatever comes."
The Star
21-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
South-East Asia's budget airlines bet on travel demand, despite competition woes: Analysis
SEOUL: South-East Asia's biggest budget airlines are pursuing a bruising capacity expansion race despite rising cost pressures that are squeezing profitability and led Qantas Airways to shut down Singapore-based offshoot Jetstar Asia. Low-cost carriers have proliferated in Asia in the past two decades as disposable incomes rise, supported by robust travel demand from Chinese tourists. Demand for air travel in Asia is expected to grow faster than other regions in the next few decades and carriers like Vietnam's VietJet Aviation and Malaysia-headquartered AirAsia are to buy more planes to add to their already large orderbooks as they seek to gain market share. But margins are thinner than in other regions. The International Air Transport Association (IATA), an airline industry body, this year expects Asia-Pacific airlines to make a net profit margin of 1.9%, compared with a global average of 3.7%. Airlines across Asia have largely restored capacity since the pandemic, which has intensified competition, especially for price-sensitive budget travellers, and pulled airfares down from recent high levels. International airfares in Asia dropped 12% in 2024 from 2023, ForwardKeys data shows. AirAsia, the region's largest budget carrier, reported a 9% decline in average airfares in the first quarter as it added capacity and passed savings from lower fuel prices onto its customers. Adding to challenges for airlines, costs such as labour and airport charges are also rising, while a shortage of new planes is driving up leasing and maintenance fees. This shifting landscape prompted Australia's Qantas to announce last week that its loss-making low-cost intra-Asia subsidiary Jetstar Asia would shut down by the end of July after two decades of operations. Jetstar Asia said it had seen "really high cost increases" at its Singapore base, including double-digit rises in fuel, airport fees, ground handling and security charges. "It is a very thin buffer, and with margins this low, any cost increase can impact an airline's viability," said IATA Asia-Pacific Vice President Sheldon Hee, adding that operating costs were escalating in the region. Aviation data firm OAG in a February white paper said Asia-Pacific was the world's most competitive aviation market, with airfares driven down by rapid capacity expansion "perhaps to a point where profits are compromised". "Balancing supply to demand and costs to revenue have never been more critical," the report said of the region's airlines. South-East Asia has an unusually high concentration of international budget flights. Around two-thirds of international seats within South-East Asia so far this year were on budget carriers, compared to about one-third of international seats globally, CAPA Centre for Aviation data shows. Qantas took the option to move Jetstar Asia's aircraft to more cost-efficient operations in Australia and New Zealand rather than continue to lose money, analysts say. Budget operators in South-East Asia were struggling for profits amid fierce competition even before the pandemic and now there is the added factor of higher costs, said Asia-based independent aviation analyst Brendan Sobie. Low-cost carriers offer bargain fares by driving operating costs as low as possible. Large fleets of one aircraft type drive efficiencies of scale. Jetstar Asia was much smaller than local rivals, with only 13 aircraft. As of March 31, Singapore Airlines' budget offshoot Scoot had 53 planes, AirAsia had 225 and VietJet had 117, including its Thai arm. Low-cost Philippine carrier Cebu Pacific had 99. All four are adding more planes to their fleets this year and further into the future. VietJet on Tuesday signed a provisional deal to buy up to another 150 single-aisle Airbus planes at the Paris Airshow, in a move it said was just the beginning as the airline pursues ambitious growth. The deal comes weeks after it ordered 20 A330neo wide-body planes, alongside an outstanding order for 200 Boeing 737 MAX jets. AirAsia, which has an existing orderbook of at least 350 planes, is also in talks to buy 50 to 70 long-range single-aisle jetliners, and 100 regional jets that could allow it to expand to more destinations, its CEO Tony Fernandes said on Wednesday. "At the end of the day, it is go big or go home," said Subhas Menon, director general of the Association of Asia Pacific Airlines. - Reuters
Nikkei Asia
20-06-2025
- Business
- Nikkei Asia
Jetstar Asia's closure highlights ASEAN's fierce LCC wars
NANA SHIBATA and NORMAN GOH JAKARTA/KUALA LUMPUR -- After operating for more than 20 years, Singapore-based budget airline Jetstar Asia announced its closure, citing increased competition and rising costs. The shutdown of Jetstar Asia, a subsidiary of Australia's flag carrier Qantas, highlights the difficulties that low-cost carriers (LCCs) face in Southeast Asia. Although the region's low-cost carrier market is expected to continue growing, operators are being forced to accept lower profit margins, with analysts predicting stiffer competition this year amid rising cost concerns.
CNA
19-06-2025
- Business
- CNA
Deep Dive - Jetstar Asia closure: Are the days of cheap fares over?
Deep Dive - Jetstar Asia closure: Are the days of cheap fares over? Jetstar Asia will cease operations on Jul 31, a move unsurprising to experts because the low-cost carrier was struggling to turn a profit in a tough aviation market. Otelli Edwards speaks to Shukor Yusof from aviation consultancy Endau Analytics and Dr Nitin Pangarkar from NUS Business School to find out what the future holds. 20 mins Deep Dive - Is Singapore's electric vehicle infrastructure catching up with demand? Electric vehicle sales hit a new high in the first three months of 2025, accounting for 40 per cent of total car registrations. Yet concerns about charging networks and capacity remain. Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards speak with transport economist Walter Theseira and Stephanie Tan, CEO of EV-Electric Charging. 25 mins Deep Dive - Calling 995? You may be rerouted to the NurseFirst helpline instead – here's how it works Non-life-threatening 995 calls will be directed to NurseFirst, a triage helpline, under a six-month nationwide trial aimed at easing the burden on emergency services. How exactly does it work, and will the public adapt? Steven Chia and Otelli Edwards find out from Col Dr David Pflug, chief medical officer of the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Dr Jade Kua, clinical lead for the NurseFirst helpline and senior consultant at the emergency medicine department in Woodlands Health. 18 mins
