Jetstar profits surge as Bonza collapse boosts Qantas group earnings

Australia’s sole budget carrier has cashed in on the lack of competition in the nation’s aviation sector.

Within the Qantas Group’s whopping $1.5 billion earnings before tax in the first half of 2024-25, Jetstar jacked up prices to record an operating margin of 18 per cent.

That is up from 13 per cent in the first half of the 2023-24 financial year, the increase coinciding with fellow budget airline Bonza’s collapse in April 2024.

It helped deliver a massive earnings increase for the Qantas Group, with Jetstar domestic flight revenue jumping 54 per cent in that same time frame.

The findings come from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s quarterly look at domestic airline competition, which found both Qantas and Virgin Australia had recorded impressive financial results in the back half of 2024.

Virgin has not publicly reported its half-year results, although chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka said in February it had achieved record profits.

ACCC commissioner Anna Brakey said Jetstar’s earnings jump was largely explained by Bonza’s demise.

Compared with an 18 per cent operating margin on domestic flights, Jetstar’s international flights were at 15 per cent due to the increased competition, the report said.

“The high half-yearly earnings reported by Qantas Group reflect its dominance of the domestic airline sector, with Qantas and Jetstar accounting for over 60 per cent of passengers,” Ms Brakey said.

“Jetstar has been able to capitalise on the continued absence of competitive pressure from another low-cost carrier in the domestic market to increase its market share and operating margin.”

The report found airlines had improved their punctuality in the past six months from 74.5 per cent to 80.2 per cent.

But that still sits below the industry’s long-term average of 80.7 per cent.

“It is encouraging to see the on-time arrival rate improving as this means travellers can have more confidence that their flight will arrive at the time they booked,” Ms Brakey said.

The cancellation rate spiked in the March quarter to five per cent, way above the long-term mark of 2.2 per cent, but that period included ex-Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

The average airfare increased by 9.6 per cent between the three months to January 2025 and March 2025, but the ACCC did not find that result to be too alarming.

“The trends observed in average airfares since January reflect seasonal factors and are broadly consistent with those observed in previous years,” Ms Brakey said.

“Average airfares have come down from their peak in October 2024.”