The new Aussie low-cost airline Bonza has marked the commencement of its second base at Melbourne’s Tullamarine airport today. The first flight from Melbourne to the Sunshine Coast became the christening for the carrier’s new base.
Travel-hungry Victorians have packed onto the first ever Bonza flight from the Victorian capital to the Sunshine Coast marking the launch of the airline’s Melbourne Tullamarine base.
The base opening comes just in time for the busy Easter and school holiday period.
Two based aircraft and 12 group services
From the new Tullamarine base, Bonza will operate two aircraft from their fleet of brand-new Boeing 737-MAX which have been affectionately named Shazza, Bazza, Sheila and Malc.
Twelve routes from the Melbourne base servicing 11 destinations will be available from the Melbourne hub.
The destinations will include the low-cost carrier’s home base at Sunshine Coast Airport as well as regional locations like Toowoomba Wellcamp, Tamworth and Bundaberg.
Melburnians can now take advantage of nine Bonza routes – seven of which are not being offered by any other airline.
[monsterinsights_popular_posts_inline]
Bonza will also launch a much-anticipated Melbourne Tullamarine to Mildura service from its new base on 8 May. The new air service will turn what is a six to seven-hour car journey within the same state to little more than an hour’s flight.
“The Victorian capital is our second home and based here are a number of cabin crew, pilots and first officers who get to come home after a day travelling to regional destinations on our route map,” said Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza.
Jordan who flew with customers to the Sunshine Coast on the flight today.
“Demand is high for Aussies to travel domestically and as the cooler months are upon us, Melbournites can now take a low cost flight to many Queensland destinations for direct access to winter sun – or stay within Victoria for a winter wine escape to Mildura,” he added.
Booking via an app
Over 100,000 seats have now been sold on the Fly Bonza app with the low-cost carrier being the only airline to ever launch with an app first strategy.
Travellers are currently able to book flights up until the end of October with the schedule up until Christmas and Summer 2024 due to be added soon.
Bonza says Aussies are embracing the airline’s app first approach with hundreds of thousands of downloads taking it to number one most popular app on Android and number one in the travel section of Apple.
With Melbourne poised to overtake Sydney to become the largest city in Australia, and regional populations booming, Jordan says there has never been a better time for Bonza to enter the market as an airline for the many, not the few.
On arrival to the Sunny Coast today, invited guests and community members onboard the historic flight were treated to a celebration of the Sunshine Coast’s premier culinary festival, The Curated Plate, along the backdrop of Mooloolaba Beach.
About Bonza
Bonza is new start-up independent low-cost airline. The carrier’s initial route map includes 27 routes servicing 17 Australian destinations.
Ninety-three per cent of Bonza routes are not currently served by any airline and ninety-six per cent are not currently served by a low-cost carrier.
