Australian low-cost airline Bonza officially launched its commercial services with the completion of its first scheduled flight. Days earlier, the airline had begun marketing tickets for flights connecting twelve airports and fifteen different routes.
The inaugural flight, operated by a Boeing 737 MAX 8 with registration VH-UIK, took off from Sunshine Coast International Airport (MCY), 90 kilometres from the centre of Brisbane, at just after 8:30 local time and landed at Proserpine-Whitsunday Coast Airport (PPP) in Queensland after almost one hour and twenty minutes of flight time.
In a press release, the company said it was a “historic flight” as its business model “is said to be a game changer for both tourism markets as well as friends and family”.
A different player in the Australian domestic market
Initially, Bonza will offer flights between one of its two hubs, Sunshine Coast Airport, and airports in Melbourne, Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Whitsundays, Rockhampton, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Albury, Tamworth, Avalon and Mildura.
The inauguration of the new airline’s services represents a significant change in the Australian domestic market, as 93% of its routes are not currently served by any other carrier. Meanwhile, 96% of them are not served by any low-cost carrier.
“Today’s milestone flight comes at a time where demand is high for Aussies to explore their own backyard”, said Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza. “What our first customers will experience onboard is a fresh approach to flying where we keep the bar high on quality, and our costs low”, he had said before the flight.
