Jetstar’s flights between Tokyo and Cairns were restarted on July 20 after nearly two and a half years, with the airline preparing to welcome thousands of visitors from Japan into tropical north Queensland each week.

While restrictions remain in place for independent tourists travelling from Australia to Japan, Japanese citizens are now able to travel freely between the two countries, driving strong demand for Jetstar’s relaunch of direct services to Cairns.

The airline will operate up to five return flights per week between Cairns and Narita (Tokyo), bringing up to 1,600 people into Australia from Japan every week and providing an important boost to local tourism.

The first return flight from Tokyo to Cairns, which is close to sold out, will take off on Thursday night and touch down early Friday morning.

Jetstar will also resumed services between Cairns and Osaka (Kansai) on July 26, 2022.