Jetstar’s flights between Tokyo and Cairns take off today after nearly two and a half years, with the airline preparing to welcome thousands of visitors from Japan into tropical north Queensland each week.

While restrictions remain in place for independent tourists travelling from Australia to Japan, Japanese citizens are now able to travel freely between the two countries, driving strong demand for Jetstar’s relaunch of direct services to Cairns. 

The airline will operate up to five return flights per week between Cairns and Narita (Tokyo), bringing up to 1,600 people into Australia from Japan every week and providing an important boost to local tourism. 

The first return flight from Tokyo to Cairns, which is close to sold out, will take off on Thursday night and touch down early Friday morning. 

Jetstar Group CEO Gareth Evans said today is another important milestone in rebuilding Jetstar’s international network. 

“Australia has always been a popular destination for Japanese travellers, and we’re excited to be able to reconnect the two countries, providing a significant tourism boost to the local Cairns community and Queensland more broadly,” Mr Evans said. 

“Jetstar is the first Australian carrier to relaunch flights between Australia and Japan, and we’re already seeing a lot of pent-up demand from Japanese travellers eager to visit Australia. 

“Japan has also always been a popular destination for Australians, and we look forward to welcoming an announcement from the Japanese Government about the easing of international restrictions, which will allow two-way travel between the two countries.” 

Following today’s launch, Jetstar will resume services between Cairns and Osaka (Kansai) on 26 July.