Qantas opens new Jetstar Airways cabin crew base in Perth
Qantas Group opened (16-Oct-2026) a new Jetstar Airways base in Perth with 40 cabin crew, and plans to expand to 90 roles as the LCC grows its footprint in Western Australia. The new base will support Jetstar's plans to launch Perth-Christchurch service on 27-Oct-2026, as previously reported by CAPA, as well as increased frequency on Perth-Melbourne service. The facility will deliver emergency procedures training to more than 1200 Qantas Airways, Jetstar and QantasLink employees p/a, including existing crew and future recruits. It features training for Boeing 787 and 737 aircraft, alongside A330, A320 and A321, with plans to expand to Embraer E190 aircraft in 1Q2027 to support QantasLink's future operations with the aircraft type. Qantas Group CEO Vanessa Hudson stated: "Western Australia is one of the Qantas Group's most important growth markets, and over the coming years Perth is set to become our second-largest international gateway after Sydney", adding: "We're backing that growth with more local jobs, new aircraft, additional flights and investment in world-class training facilities". [more - original PR - Qantas Group] [more - original PR - Western Australia's Government]
Background ✨
Qantas Group invested AUD100 million in pilot and cabin crew training facilities, including a 6300sqm emergency procedures training centre at Mascot used to train more than 10,000 staff p/a, and it noted a new EPTC opened in Perth in Mar-2026.1 It also said it remained on track to create 8500 Australian jobs by 2030, and previously flagged a Jetstar Perth cabin crew base later in 2026 creating 90 roles.2