Around 90% of former Jetstar Asia flight crew find new jobs, land interviews

Around 90 per cent of retrenched Jetstar Asia cabin crew and pilots have secured jobs or job interviews with companies such as the Singapore Airlines (SIA) Group and Marina Bay Sands.

NTUC Secretary-General Ng Chee Meng gave the update on 10 September 2025 in a Facebook post.

Jetstar Asia ceased operations on 31 July 2025, affecting around 500 employees.

Following the airline’s closure announcement on 11 June 2025, The Singapore Manual & Mercantile Workers’ Union (SMMWU), NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute), and the NTUC Aerospace and Aviation cluster partnered with the SIA Group and the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) to run a job matching exercise from 17 to 19 June 2025.

The job matching exercise was specially curated to provide industry-aligned and skills-relevant opportunities.

The three-day event offered more than 1,400 openings across 38 employers. Roles included pilots, cabin crew, engineering, safety, hub operations, and quality assurance.

Fourteen employers participated on-site, with the SIA Group, including Scoot, being present throughout the three days.

Most of the employers were from the aerospace and aviation sectors to improve job matching accuracy. Other employers at the event included SMRT, SATS and the Changi Airport Group.

Career coaches from NTUC’s e2i were also on-site to provide guidance, while affiliated unions extended additional support.

Back in the skies

Ex-Jetstar Asia flight attendant Michele Lim Ly is now with Scoot.

One successful jobseeker is flight attendant Michele Lim Ly, 49, who joined Scoot and will soon work on the longer-haul routes of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

Ms Lim praised NTUC’s efforts in helping displaced Jetstar Asia staff find new employment. She was especially impressed by how quickly the job matching exercise was arranged.

“It was very worrying and there was a lot of uncertainty, but I guess it was reassuring knowing that we were not alone in this. NTUC decided to step in, and the companies started joining the job fair and offering jobs. At that moment, it didn’t feel so scary,” she shared.

Currently undergoing training, she will start flying in the last week of September 2025.

Additional NTUC support for affected workers

Since Jetstar Asia’s closure was announced on 11 June 2025, The SMMWU said it has been negotiating fair retrenchment terms to ensure staff received adequate compensation.

The union also encouraged displaced workers to apply for temporary financial assistance under the SkillsFuture Jobseekers Support scheme and advised members to use the Union Training Assistance Programme (UTAP) to help offset training costs while seeking new roles.

Australia’s Qantas Group said it decided to wind down Jetstar Asia due to rising supplier costs, airport fees, and intensifying regional competition, which made it harder to sustain low fares.

At the time, the airline management pledged retrenchment benefits and redeployment opportunities within the Qantas Group and with aviation partners in Singapore.

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