Bonza, Australia’s newest airline, took off for its first commercial flight on January 31, 2023, with the airline’s Boeing 737 MAX carrying passengers between Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) and Proserpine Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP).
The airline, which is named after a slang term for ‘awesome’, received its Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on January 12, 2023. Currently, the airline owns three Boeing 737 MAX aircraft, with six more scheduled to arrive shortly, according to planespotters.net data.
“Our team of legends couldn’t be more excited to begin connecting Aussies for holidays and time with loved ones. What better place to start than arguably two of the country’s favourite holiday destinations,” said Tim Jordan, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Bonza.
Bonza will be based at MCY, developing its network out of one of the primary tourist destinations in Australia. According to a paper by the state of Queensland’s government, more than 4.3 million tourists visited the Sunshine Coast in 2019. 4 million of those were of domestic origin, “with tourism contributing 13.9% of the region’s gross regional product (GRP)”.
“Bonza’s commencement of services signals a new era for our airport and wider region and over the next 12 months we will see an additional 772,000 seats into the region, which will generate more than $86 million in visitor expenditure,” added Andrew Brodie, the CEO of Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY).
According to the airline, 93% of its routes are not served by any other airline, while 96% are not served by a low-cost carrier. Its initial route network includes 17 destinations and 27 routes. Bonza expects to operate eight Boeing 737 MAX aircraft by the end of the year.