Jetstar has expanded their Gold Coast to Cairns service from three flights per week to daily, and will add a fourth daily Brisbane to Cairns service.

As of yesterday, the Gold Coast service departs at 9.05am and arrives in Cairns at 11.35am daily. The new Brisbane to Cairns service departs 10.35 and touches down in Cairns at 12.55pm daily.

Rob Giason CEO of Tourism Tropical North Queensland said “The expansion of Jetstar services into the region provides an additional capacity of more than 100,000 inbound seats annually. This is great news for our region.

"In addition to the domestic market opportunities, the Gold Coast service will provide greater access to the Cairns region for Japanese visitors arriving via the Gold Coast. The additional services from Brisbane will assist Chinese visitors arriving direct from China, to travel to Cairns & Great Barrier Reef,” he said.

Cairns Airport Pty Ltd (CAPL) general manager, Aviation Business Development, Rob Evans, said Jetstar’s increases to the airline’s domestic capacity are another positive outcome generated by the air services agreement put in place between CAPL and Jetstar in late 2009.

“We welcome these increased services which demonstrate Jetstar’s confidence in our region to continue to attract visitors,” Mr Evans said.

“We expect the additional daily service to Brisbane will be well utilised by locals and visitors alike, while the introduction of a daily service to Coolangatta will further strengthen the link between Queensland’s two major tourist destinations of the Gold Coast and Tropical North Queensland.”

Jetstar’s Head of Corporate Relations, Simon Westaway, said “The move to a daily A320 service on the Gold Coast route affirms Jetstar’s ongoing support for the important Japanese market and allows even greater support for group and individual travellers to package Queensland whilst growing a new market out of the Gold Coast for Cairns.”