Aussies will soon see a streak of purple taking to the skies as Bonza Airlines has officially been given the go-ahead to start flying. The budget airline has promised extra affordable rates to 17 destinations across Australia.
Bonza made the big announcement yesterday, sharing the happy news it was granted its Air Operator Certificate by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) just before 2pm Queensland time.
Their mission is to provide Aussies with an affordable experience in air travel – and hopefully a reliable one too!
Bonza Airlines flight paths
The carrier’s base is on the Sunshine Coast but they do plan to expand to Melbourne soon. At this stage, they’ve got flights coming and going from:
- Cairns
- Townsville
- Whitsundays
- Mackay
- Rockhampton
- Gladstone
- Bundaberg
- Toowoomba
- Coffs Harbour
- Port Macquarie
- Tamworth
- Newcastle
- Albury
- Mildura
- Avalon
- Melbourne
Bonza Airlines flight prices
Bonza, which has been lovingly nicknamed Shazza, Sheila and Bazza, is proud to be budget and we can expect pretty affordable costs too.
According to Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan,
“We believe that fares should start from about $50 for every hour that you fly.”Â
With this price point, you could be looking at some pretty decent flight costs. Here are a few one-way examples based on Mr Jordan’s predicted price points of $50 an hour.
Of course, these are just estimates.
- Sunshine Coast to Melbourne (2 hr, 20 min flight) – $120 one way
- Sunshine Coast to Cairns – (2hr, 20 min flight) – $120 one way
- Sunshine Coast to Townsville – (2 hr flight) – $100 one way
- Sunshine Coast to Mackay – (1 hr 35 min flight) – $80 one way
- Sunshine Coast to Newcastle – (1 hr 35 min flight) – $80 one way
- Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour – (1 hr flight) – $50 one way
One of the other interesting things about the new Bonza Airlines flight paths and prices is that many airlines don’t actually fly direct to some of these popular holiday locations.
When will tickets go on sale?Â
Soon. Most likely in a few days.
Mr Jordan said he expected tickets to be on sale within days with flights due to start before February.
“I’m hoping that we’re talking days, or potentially a week or two, but not more than that. I would be hoping that by the end of the month, we will be taking to Australian skies.”
Tickets for flights will only be available through its Fly Bonza app or travel agents.
Safe to fly
Bonza Airlines first made headlines back in 2021 when they initially announced plans to take to the skies. The airline had hoped to have flights operating from mid-2022 but they needed a range of approvals from CASA.
CASA director of aviation safety Pip Spence said the airline had been through a “rigorous assessment” to ensure it was safe to fly.
“All commercial operators in Australia have to go through this process, which considers how the operator will meet the required safety standards,” he said.
Regional Development Minister Catherine King said it was the first new major airline for Australia since Tiger Airways launched more than 15 years ago and has welcomed the new airline.
“Australia has one of the safest aviation sectors in the world,” she said. “I commend the staff at CASA and Bonza who have worked hard over many months to progress this certification and to ensure that Bonza meets the high safety standards required of all airlines operating in Australia.”
