October 17, 2026 — Jetstar has opened a new cabin crew base in Perth, and its parent Qantas Group has opened a local emergency procedures training centre there, part of a push to grow in Western Australia.
What happened
Jetstar announced on Friday, October 16, that its Perth crew base has launched with 40 cabin crew and is set to grow to 90 local roles. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson called Western Australia “one of the Qantas Group’s most important growth markets.”
New training centre
The Qantas Group’s new Perth Emergency Procedures Training Centre will train more than 1,200 Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar employees each year. It combines classroom and hands-on work, including:
- A virtual reality training area
- Door trainers for several aircraft types
- An A321 narrowbody trainer
- Escape slides and life rafts
- An E190 trainer, due to be installed early next year (exact date TBA)
Hudson said the centre means crew can do this training locally instead of travelling to the East Coast.
Network and fleet changes from Perth
| Item | Detail | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Jetstar Perth – Christchurch | Seasonal service, three times weekly, more than 30,000 seats over the season | October 27, 2026 to March 27, 2027 |
| Jetstar Perth – Melbourne | Up to four return flights a day | Summer holiday period (exact dates TBA) |
| QantasLink Embraer E190 | First aircraft arrived in Perth | September 2026 |
| QantasLink Perth A320s (19 aircraft) | Wi-Fi plus seat and cabin upgrades; first completed aircraft entering service | This week |
What it means for non-revs
- Local jobs for crew in the West. The base is set to grow from 40 to 90 cabin crew roles, giving people in Western Australia a local option for Jetstar cabin crew jobs. Watch Jetstar’s careers page for openings; recruitment dates were not announced.
- Less travel for training. Perth-based Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar crew can do emergency procedures training at home, which should mean fewer positioning trips to the East Coast.
- More seats out of Perth this summer. Up to four daily Perth–Melbourne return flights over the summer holidays and a new Perth–Christchurch service from October 27 add capacity, which can help standby chances. Holiday-season loads are still likely to be heavy, so check loads before you list.
Sources
- Jetstar Newsroom — Jetstar opens new Perth cabin crew base as Qantas Group expands aviation training
- Aviation A2Z — Jetstar Gears Up for Perth Growth With New Crew Base and 30,000 Christchurch Seats
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