Qantas Airways has applied, on behalf of its subsidiary Jetstar, for traffic rights beyond Indonesia to other points in Asia.
The Oneworld carrier says in its application to Australia's International Air Services Commission that it wants 3,898 additional seats per week on the Indonesia route and for 727 seats and four frequencies per week beyond Indonesia.
A Jetstar spokesman declines to say what will be the destination beyond Indonesia but the group's move to apply for fifth freedom rights comes days after Singapore-based Jetstar Asia lost some of its traffic rights on the Singapore-Jakarta route.
Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan has stated publicly in the past that Jetstar can use Australia's fifth freedom rights beyond Indonesia, if it ever wanted to boost services between Singapore and Indonesia.
Jetstar Asia lost seven of its weekly slots on the Singapore-Jakarta route, bringing its allocation down to 17 flights per week. But if it uses the four weekly frequencies - gained from Australian fifth freedoms - then Jetstar Asia can market a thrice-daily service on the Singapore-Jakarta route.
Flight frequency is particularly important on the Jakarta-Singapore route, because it caters very much to business travellers who like to fly to Jakarta and return that same day.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
