Valuair: Asia's Forgotten Airline

October 16, 2022

In the late 2000s, Valuair was a popular low-cost carrier based in Singapore. The airline launched in 2004, with services to Thailand and Hong Kong. The airline was also very unique, compared to other budget airlines in the area such as Tiger Airways and Jetstar Asia, as every flight ticket included a baggage allowance of 20kg, in flight meals and a large seat pitch.

The airline started to expand and grow rapidly, with many services to Indonesia, China, Thailand, Hong Kong and China. Some notable destinations include Xiamen, Chengdu, Perth, Denpasar and many more.

The unique airline grew rapidly | © Wikimedia Commons

The airline had many ambitious plans, including expansion with wide body aircraft like the Airbus A330 and Boeing 777 at the time, and more flights to Australia and Northeast Asia.

However, just a year later, in July 2005, the brand slowly started to disappear. The brand was only seen on flights to Indonesia, before completely disappearing in the 2010s.

Due to rising fuel prices, lack of funding and fierce competition, the airline merged with Jetstar Asia, to form the Orange Star group. However, the airline would not disappear completely. The 1-year-old airline would continue to operate its respective routes, with the Valuair brand. The airline started to slowly incorporate itself into Jetstar Asia. From 2006 to 2014, the airline only operated flights to Indonesia.

Valuair merged with Jetstar Asia | © Wikimedia Commons

On 26 October 2014, the final Valuair flight landed from Jakarta at Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 1, marking the end for the low-cost carrier. All routes were taken over by Jetstar Asia. The hot meals, and 20kg checked in baggage was no more.

Today, Jetstar Asia is the worst low-cost carrier in Asia, according to many websites including Tripadvisor. Their unfavourable customer service and bare-bones service reflect the opposite of Valuair.

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Written by: Sohail Sawlani
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