Bonza takes to the sky with first Australian flight

Itā€™s wheels up for Australiaā€™s newest airline as Bonza hopes to fill an aviation niche by offering low-cost flights on under-serviced routes.

Speaking from the carrierā€™s base on the Sunshine Coast, CEO Tim Jordan said the first flight has been 14 years in the making.

ā€œWeā€™re here, weā€™re at the start line and we will be changing the aviation environment for the better, for the many ā€¦ and not just the few,ā€ he said.

Departing on Tuesday morning, the first flight is between the Queensland holiday destinations of the Sunshine and Whitsunday coasts.

ā€œWeā€™re a leisure-focused airline ā€¦ some of those bells and whistles that are associated with business carriers, thatā€™s not for us,ā€ Mr Jordan said.

The route is the first of 27 to be gradually rolled out to a total of 17 destinations, with a focus on regional centres in eastern Australia.

Fares start at $49 and more than 10,000 tickets have been sold since going on sale on Friday.

The business model works when the fares stay low, Mr Jordan said.

ā€œWe look at an airline seat as the ultimate perishable item, as soon as that aircraft pushes back thatā€™s a lost opportunity,ā€ he said.

ā€œWe will be aiming to use as many seats ā€¦ as we possibly can, because even if itā€™s $10 or $20 that somebody gives us, thatā€™s $10 or $20 we wonā€™t otherwise have.ā€

Bonza is the first high-capacity, low-fare startup in Australia for 15 years, Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said.

ā€œWe look forward to seeing those skies full of purple tails,ā€ he said, a nod to the airlineā€™s distinctive branding.

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Nick Gibbs
(Australian Associated Press)

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