Jetstar has chosen Australia Day to unveil a capacity boost on one of the country’s busiest corporate trunk routes. From April to October 2026 the low-cost carrier will switch its daily Canberra–Brisbane rotation from 186-seat Airbus A320s to the new-generation 238-seat A321LR. The move represents a 28 per cent jump in seats and equates to roughly 19,000 additional one-way seats during the six-month period.
The decision comes after monthly traffic data from Canberra Airport showed passenger numbers on the route back above 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, driven by public-sector commuters, FIFO engineers supporting Queensland’s energy transition projects and growing leisure demand at both ends. Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said the larger aircraft would “lock in low fares for both business and holiday travellers at a time of stubbornly high airfares across the broader market.”
For mobility managers the extra inventory should ease chronic seat scarcity on Thursday and Sunday peaks, while the A321LR’s longer range gives Jetstar operational headroom to add through-services to Darwin or Cairns without payload penalties if demand warrants. The cabin also features USB-A/C power at every seat and larger overhead bins—amenities welcomed by laptop-toting business travellers who have migrated to Jetstar since Qantas cut back frequencies last year.
![Jetstar upgauges Canberra–Brisbane service with larger Airbus A321LR, adding 19,000 seats]()
For travellers eyeing these new flights, getting the necessary travel documentation sorted early is just as crucial as finding the right fare. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a quick, online solution for visas, e-visas and even passport renewals, giving both corporate travel managers and individual flyers real-time tracking and dedicated support—peace of mind when schedules can shift with airline fleet changes like Jetstar’s up-gauge.
Airport executives in the capital say the announcement vindicates a three-year incentives programme that discounts aeronautical charges for new-generation, lower-emission aircraft. With QantasLink preparing to deploy its first Airbus A220s on the competing Adelaide–Brisbane corridor in March, analysts expect a fresh round of competitive pricing in Australia’s “golden triangle” secondary routes.
Travel buyers should monitor published timetables closely: while the up-gauge applies from 1 April, Jetstar’s reservation system was still filing the smaller A320 on some weekday flights at time of writing. Corporates reliant on fully-flex fares are advised to block seats early to secure the larger cabin and avoid potential reaccommodation on smaller jets should operational swaps occur.
The decision comes after monthly traffic data from Canberra Airport showed passenger numbers on the route back above 95 per cent of pre-pandemic levels, driven by public-sector commuters, FIFO engineers supporting Queensland’s energy transition projects and growing leisure demand at both ends. Jetstar CEO Stephanie Tully said the larger aircraft would “lock in low fares for both business and holiday travellers at a time of stubbornly high airfares across the broader market.”
For mobility managers the extra inventory should ease chronic seat scarcity on Thursday and Sunday peaks, while the A321LR’s longer range gives Jetstar operational headroom to add through-services to Darwin or Cairns without payload penalties if demand warrants. The cabin also features USB-A/C power at every seat and larger overhead bins—amenities welcomed by laptop-toting business travellers who have migrated to Jetstar since Qantas cut back frequencies last year.
For travellers eyeing these new flights, getting the necessary travel documentation sorted early is just as crucial as finding the right fare. VisaHQ’s Australian portal (https://www.visahq.com/australia/) offers a quick, online solution for visas, e-visas and even passport renewals, giving both corporate travel managers and individual flyers real-time tracking and dedicated support—peace of mind when schedules can shift with airline fleet changes like Jetstar’s up-gauge.
Airport executives in the capital say the announcement vindicates a three-year incentives programme that discounts aeronautical charges for new-generation, lower-emission aircraft. With QantasLink preparing to deploy its first Airbus A220s on the competing Adelaide–Brisbane corridor in March, analysts expect a fresh round of competitive pricing in Australia’s “golden triangle” secondary routes.
Travel buyers should monitor published timetables closely: while the up-gauge applies from 1 April, Jetstar’s reservation system was still filing the smaller A320 on some weekday flights at time of writing. Corporates reliant on fully-flex fares are advised to block seats early to secure the larger cabin and avoid potential reaccommodation on smaller jets should operational swaps occur.
