CAPPING a week of new service debuts from Singapore to Ningbo (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 11), Beijing (TTG Asia e-Daily, July 13) and Hanoi, Jetstar is planning a slew of additional frequencies from its Singapore hub to existing destinations.

The carrier's Taipei service will be boosted from August 5 by an additional six weekly flights to 13 flights per week, while its Hong Kong service will be ramped up by an additional seven weekly flights, between August 19 and September 14, to 24-weekly.

From August 18, Jetstar's Kuala Lumpur service will grow by one additional weekly flight to 20-weekly, and its Ho Chi Minh City route will receive seven additional weekly flights to become 21-weekly.

In Indonesia, where Jetstar operates under the Valuair brand, its Bali service will get an additional four weekly flights to become six-weekly from September 7, while Jakarta will be served from September 14 by 19 weekly flights, up by one.

Jetstar's four-weekly Singapore-Hanoi service utilising A320 aircraft is due to start from December 15. By end-2011, the carrier will be operating 17 Airbus A320s and three A330s out of its Singapore hub.

Jetstar Asia CEO, Chong Phit Lian, said Singapore Airlines’ plan to launch medium- to longhaul services from Singapore had not impacted its expansion plans.

“We will only go into new markets or expand in existing markets when we are ready to do so, and not because of competition," she said. "We have always operated in a competitive market and the competition will always be there.”