Qantas to start first cabin crew base in Singapore from September, plans to have 650 crew in five years

[SINGAPORE] For the first time, Qantas will introduce a cabin crew base in Singapore from September, with plans to eventually scale up to 650 crew members in five years’ time.

The Australian national carrier said it aims to get 120 crew members on board within the first year. Some of them will be drawn from its Australian-headquartered low-cost subsidiary Jetstar Airways, which will have its Singapore base here closed to “streamline its low-cost operating model”.

Singapore-based Qantas cabin crew will operate flights between Singapore and Australia, and be given competitive salaries, the airline told The Straits Times on Feb 26.

Qantas International chief executive Cam Wallace said the new Singapore cabin crew base will allow it to operate its growing international network more efficiently and respond faster to flight disruptions.

Singapore is Qantas’ largest international hub outside Australia, and is its third-largest overall, after Sydney and Melbourne.

Qantas said it expects to offer the roughly 50 Singapore-based cabin crew working for Jetstar Airways new roles with Qantas.

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Former cabin crew with Jetstar Asia, which ceased operations in July 2025, will also be able to apply for roles in the new base, added the airline.

The move to establish a cabin crew base here comes as Qantas announced it will nearly double the use of its Airbus A380 double-deck superjumbo on services between Singapore and Sydney.

With 485 seats in total, the aircraft will be operated on 13 out of the 14 weekly flights between the two cities from Dec 7. The 14th weekly service will continue to be flown by the airline’s smaller wide-body Airbus A330 jet. THE STRAITS TIMES