Jetstar signs as official airline partner for WTA tennis across APAC

Singapore’s leading female tennis player, Stefanie Tan, joined Jetstar and the WTA to unveil the partnership in Singapore as part of simultaneous launch events across the region.

At the ground breaking launch in Sydney an innovative larger-than-life projection of leading players Samantha Stosur and Jelena Dokic playing tennis appeared across the iconic night skyline of Sydney.

Under the three year, multi-million dollar Asia-Pacific tie-up, Jetstar team members and customers have the chance to travel with elite women tennis players onboard, win tickets to attend tournaments and take part in activations through social media websites.

Jetstar Group CEO Bruce Buchanan, said its Asia-Pacific airlines would receive global exposure, in particular throughout Asia, through branding, on court presence, local activation, as well as various player alignment opportunities and significant marketing and digital integration. Jetstar will also create a customised air travel programme for WTA players, tournaments and its staff.

“Jetstar’s ongoing expansion in Asia, today’s dominant global aviation market, presented an incredible opportunity, and its strategic new partnership with the WTA gives great leverage to the Jetstar brand, a greater competitive proposition and regional relevance,” Buchanan said.

WTA tournaments have the world's most prominent female tennis players, who will join tennis fans to fly Jetstar to a number of the airline's primary destinations to attend tournaments, firstly in Australia and New Zealand with future events in Japan, China, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

The WTA events attract close to five million attendees annually to tournaments with millions more watching  globally on television networks, and following online and through social media.

In Singapore, Jetstar Asia CEO Ms Chong Phit Lian announced the partnership.

“Jetstar is excited by the opportunities this presents our customers, team members and an appealing pan Asian brand. The partnership between Jetstar and WTA is a natural fit, considering thousands of Jetstar customers and team members also love to play and watch tennis across over 50 of our Asia-Pacific destinations, the bulk of which are now in Asia,” Chong said.

WTA senior vice-president for operations and player relations Peter Johnston, said, “Our partnership with Jetstar is a perfect match for the WTA’s stars and our tournaments. We are extremely proud to welcome Jetstar as the first official airline partner in the history of the Women’s Tennis Association.”

The WTA is the world's leading professional sport for women with more than 2,200 players representing 96 nations at the WTA's 53 events and four Grand Slams in 33 countries.

Jetstar is headquarted in Sydney, Singapore and Vietnam for its Jetstar, Jetstar Asia and Jetstar Pacific brands respectively. It is fully-owned by Qantas in Australia, and partly-owned by the national carrier elsewhere in the region.

Jetstar has a growing pan Asian network and continues to add new routes to China and further developing its flying hubs in Singapore, Vietnam and Australia.