Bonza (airline)

Bonza Aviation Pty Ltd, operating as Bonza, is an Australian low-cost airline, headquartered on the Sunshine Coast. Bonza commenced operations on 31 January 2023, after receiving approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority on 12 January. Bonza plans to predominantly serve under-utilised domestic and regional routes within Australia.[1]

This article is about the low-cost airline in Australia. For other uses, see Bonzer.
Bonza
IATA ICAO Callsign
AB BNZ BONZA
FoundedOctober 2021 (2021-10)
Commenced operations31 January 2023 (2023-01-31)
Operating bases
Fleet size6
Destinations17
Parent company777 Partners
HeadquartersSunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
Key people
  • Tim Jordan (CEO and founder)
Websitewww.flybonza.com

History

Background

Bonza was founded in October 2021 by former Virgin Blue executive Tim Jordan.[2][3] U.S. investment firm 777 Partners were the inaugural investors and backers.[2][4]

The airline signalled its intention to disassociate from the main cities of Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane,[2] instead setting up its headquarters at Sunshine Coast Airport[5] with the aim to grow the market by focussing on under-utilised and unserved routes between regional and domestic cities through a point-to-point network model, similar to that of Ryanair in Europe.[6][7] As a low-cost carrier, Bonza launched without a frequent-flyer program or airport lounges,[2] and limited bookings solely to its FlyBonza app.[8]

Launch
A Bonza Boeing 737 MAX 8 landing at Avalon Airport after a test flight in December 2022.

Bonza initially signalled its intention to begin flying by early 2022,[2][3] however the airline did not receive its air operator's certificate from Australian aviation regulatory body CASA until 12 January 2023.[9][10]

Bonza commenced operations on 31 January 2023, flying from its base at Sunshine Coast to the Whitsundays.[11] They initiated services with five Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft[12] in an all-economy configuration,[13] becoming the first Australian airline to operate the Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.[14][15][16]

Partnerships
Bonza currently serves as the front of shirt sponsor for Melbourne Victory FC

On 4 October 2022, it was announced that Bonza had signed a four-year sponsorship deal with Australian A-League Men's football club Melbourne Victory to be their front-of-shirt principal partner on both their home and away kits.[17][18]

Destinations

Bonza commenced operations with 27 routes serving 17 destinations in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.[12][19]

State City Airport Notes
New South Wales Albury Albury Airport
Coffs Harbour Coffs Harbour Airport
Newcastle Newcastle Airport
Port Macquarie Port Macquarie Airport
Tamworth Tamworth Airport
Queensland Bundaberg Bundaberg Airport
Cairns Cairns Airport
Gladstone Gladstone Airport
Mackay Mackay Airport
Proserpine Whitsunday Coast Airport
Rockhampton Rockhampton Airport
Sunshine Coast Sunshine Coast Airport Base
Toowoomba Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport
Townsville Townsville Airport
Victoria Melbourne/Geelong Avalon Airport
Melbourne Melbourne Airport Base
Mildura Mildura Airport

Fleet

As of February 2023, the Bonza fleet consists of the following aircraft:[20]

Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers
Boeing 737 MAX 8 4 2 186
Total 6

References
  1. "everything we know about Australia's new Bonza Airline". Australia traveller. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  2. Baird, Lucas (12 October 2021). "New airline Bonza to launch in early 2022". Australian Financial Review. Archived from the original on 21 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  3. Druce, Alex (12 October 2021). "New budget airline to launch in Australia". News.com.au. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  4. Curran, Andrew (2021-12-08). "Bonza's Tim Jordan Sets Course For Success". Simple Flying. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  5. New airline Bonza targets half-price fares on 25 routes Sydney Morning Herald 15 February 2022
  6. Crellin, Zac (12 October 2021). "Budget airline Bonza is set to bring the 'Ryanair model' to Australia". The New Daily. Retrieved 8 November 2021.
  7. Budget boom on the horizon? Airliner World December 2021 page 14
  8. "PDF.js viewer". bonza-open-letter.tiiny.site. Retrieved 2023-01-16.
  9. "Breaking: Bonza set to launch after gaining clearance from CASA". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  10. "Budget Australian airline Bonza certified to fly amid push to reduce cost of domestic travel". The Guardian. 2023-01-12. Retrieved 2023-01-12.
  11. "Budget airlines Bonza launches first flight". www.9news.com.au. Retrieved 2023-01-31.
  12. Revealed: Bonza will fly 25 routes to 16 destinations Australian Aviation 15 February 2022
  13. "New Australian budget airline Bonza hopes to start flying next year". au.finance.yahoo.com. 12 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  14. Huston, John (11 October 2021). "Bonza soon to Fly high Down Under". Airways Magazine. Archived from the original on 11 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  15. "Flair Airlines". 777 Partners. Archived from the original on 16 October 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  16. "Bonza airline's first plane touches down: Boeing 737 MAX arrives in Australia". Traveller.com.au. 2022-08-02. Retrieved 2022-08-14.
  17. "MELBOURNE VICTORY ANNOUNCES BONZA AS PRINCIPAL PARTNER". melbournevictory.com.au. 4 October 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2023.
  18. "BONZA INKS FOUR SEASON PARTNERSHIP WITH MELBOURNE VICTORY". Travel Weekly. 5 October 2022. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
  19. "BONZA BOUND FOR TAMWORTH WITH FLIGHTS FROM MELBOURNE, SUNSHINE COAST". Australian Aviation. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  20. "Bonza Airline Fleet Details and History". Planespotters.net. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
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