Jetstar Opens Perth Crew Base as Qantas Group Expands Aviation Training and Regional Fleet Upgrades

The new base starts with 40 crew and targets 90 local positions, supporting Perth–Christchurch flights, more Melbourne services and a training centre serving over 1,200 staff annually.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Jetstar launched its Perth cabin crew base with 40 employees and plans to increase local roles to 90.
• New Perth–Christchurch flights begin 27 October 2026 with more than 30,000 low-fare seats planned for the season.
• A new Perth safety facility is expected to train over 1,200 Qantas Group personnel annually.
• Nineteen Perth-based QantasLink A320s are receiving Wi-Fi and cabin improvements, while E190 preparations progress.

Perth is gaining a larger role in the Qantas Group network, with a new Jetstar cabin crew base, a dedicated aviation safety training facility and upgrades to regional aircraft forming part of a fresh investment push in Western Australia. The expansion adds local crew positions while supporting domestic flights, a new trans-Tasman link and services serving the state’s resources sector.

Jetstar’s Perth base began operating in October with 40 cabin crew, with the airline intending to increase the number of locally based positions to 90. The move is designed to support further departures from Western Australia’s capital and reduce the need to rely on crews based elsewhere as the carrier expands its schedule.

New Christchurch flights and more Perth–Melbourne capacity

For travellers, the most immediate international addition is Jetstar’s new Perth–Christchurch service, scheduled to launch on 27 October 2026. The airline says the route will offer more than 30,000 low-fare seats across its operating season, adding a direct connection between Western Australia and New Zealand’s South Island.

The carrier also plans to increase its Perth–Melbourne schedule to as many as four return flights daily during the summer holiday period. Together, the flight changes expand options for leisure travellers and people making connections between western and eastern Australia.

Safety training moves closer to Western Australian crews

Alongside the crew base, the group has opened a purpose-built Emergency Procedures Training Centre in Perth. It is expected to train more than 1,200 Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar employees each year, encompassing existing cabin crew and new recruits. Jetstar’s latest Perth-based recruits are already undertaking ground-school instruction at the site.

The centre brings classroom teaching and practical simulations together. Its equipment includes a virtual-reality training area, door trainers for Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft and Airbus A330 and A320 aircraft, an Airbus A321 narrow-body trainer, an evacuation slide and life rafts. An Embraer E190 trainer is due to be installed in early 2027 in preparation for that aircraft’s entry into QantasLink’s Western Australian operations.

Locating this training in Perth means Western Australian personnel can undertake more mandatory safety instruction locally rather than travelling to eastern Australia, a practical consideration as the number of locally based employees increases.

Aircraft investment reaches regional and resources operations

The expansion also extends to the QantasLink fleet serving Western Australia, including travel linked to the resources industry. Nineteen Perth-based Airbus A320 aircraft are receiving Wi-Fi installations, refreshed seating and cabin improvements. The first upgraded aircraft has been completed and, according to the group’s 16 October announcement, was scheduled to return to service during the same week.

QantasLink’s first Embraer E190 for its Western Australian fleet arrived in Perth in September 2026, marking another stage in the operator’s regional fleet renewal. The addition of training equipment for the E190 reflects the preparations required before these aircraft enter local service.

Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group chief executive, described Western Australia as one of the airline group’s key growth markets and said Perth is expected to become its second-largest international gateway after Sydney in the coming years. She linked the investments to employment, extra flying and easier access to training for locally based crews.

Western Australian Premier and Tourism, Trade and Investment Minister Roger Cook welcomed the investment for its training and employment implications and its contribution to Perth’s position in aviation, tourism and trade.

The projects illustrate how airline network growth involves more than launching routes: crew bases, safety instruction and fleet modernisation must develop alongside the flying programme. For passengers, the changes promise additional Perth connectivity and gradual onboard improvements, while the recruitment and training facilities create a broader operational base for the group’s growth in Western Australia. Further details are available in Jetstar’s official announcement and on the Qantas website.