JETSTAR will launch a new four-weekly Osaka-Singapore Airbus A320 service (via Manila) on March 25, which will add about 1,400 seats per week in and out of Japan.

The route expansion follows a doubling of capacity on Jetstar Asia’s Osaka-Taipei-Singapore route, and the recent announcement of a new Jetstar Airways Tokyo-Manila-Darwin service.

CEO of the Jetstar Group, Bruce Buchanan, said the extra capacity would give Japanese travellers more choice, as well as heighten potential for increased inbound numbers from Singapore and the Philippines.

“Since the start of this year, we’ve announced a total of more than 5,000 additional seats per week in-and-out of Japan,” he said.

Jetstar’s international network will link with a domestic platform when Jetstar Japan begins operations before year-end. The fledgling carrier recently submitted its Air Operators Certificate application to Japanese authorities.