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Bonza on Monday launched its fifth route between the Sunshine Coast and Rockhampton, adding more than 62,000 seats between the two destinations.
The 737 MAX, VH-UJK, departed the Sunshine Coast at 5:56pm as flight AB627 and landed in Rockhampton at 9:21pm.
The point-to-point flights are the first to connect the Sunshine Coast with the Capricorn Coast and South Great Barrier Reef regions, alleviating the need for a seven-hour car journey along the Bruce Highway or a connection through Brisbane.
“Bonza is here to change travelling behaviours by making air travel affordable to the many, not the few. Rocky and Sunny Coast residents can now ditch the impossibly long drive along the Bruce Highway with a faster, more comfortable and low-cost option,” said Bonza CEO Tim Jordan.
“I was lucky enough to meet a grandmother on the Townsville to Rocky flight who told me she paid more for her cab ride to the airport than she did for her flight. There are plenty of families in Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast looking to reconnect more often, and we’re humbled to help.”
According to Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Andrew Brodie, the airport’s relationship with Bonza will bring 772,000 seats to the Sunshine Coast and generate around $86 million in domestic visitor spend over the first 12 months.
Bonza is the first Australian operator to attempt to fly so-called “point-to-point” leisure services that skip out major cities and allow consumers to fly direct from holiday destination to holiday destination.
The business has said 93 per cent of its final network – 25 out of its 27 routes – are not currently flown by any other airline, while 96 per cent are not served by any other low-cost carrier.
Bonza’s first-ever service between the Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays began on 31 January, and it will next start flights between the Sunshine Coast and Cairns on 27 March.
Bonza was hoping to begin flying last winter but waited far longer than expected to receive its crucial licence to fly from CASA, which came through in early January.
It currently has a fleet of three MAXs to service its early network, but plans to expand that to target eight as it services more destinations.
Its first aircraft, VH-UJT, was named Shazza; its second, VH-UIK, Bazza; and its third, VH-UJK, Sheila.
The airline appears to have made a success of its launch, announcing it had sold 10,000 seats after just three days on sale.
CEO Tim Jordan previously told Australian Aviation he was keen to fly from Sydney but hinted the costs were too high.
“From an availability perspective, Sydney is no different [to Melbourne],” said Jordan
“In the fact that Melbourne saw an opportunity, nine new routes out of Melbourne, seven of them not operated by any other airline, there are similar opportunities in and out of Sydney undoubtedly. However, the issue is we need a cost base which allows us to stimulate the marketplace.
“There is an issue in terms of slots in Sydney and getting access to slots at the right time of day. And that is an issue that is more burdensome in Sydney than in many other locations.
“So those two factors cost the Sydney Airport and the slot environment for Sydney are certainly all key components inputs for us in terms of expansion.”
You can listen to our exclusive podcast interview with CEO Tim Jordan, above, and premium content subscribers can read our exclusive look inside the launch of the airline here.
Route / launch date / flights per week
Melbourne to Bundaberg – 10 May – 2
Melbourne to Gladstone – 11 May – 2
Melbourne to Mackay – 23 May – 2
Melbourne to Mildura – 8 May – 3
Melbourne to Port Macquarie – 4 May – 2
Melbourne to Rockhampton – 11 April – 3
Melbourne to Sunshine Coast – 30 March – 4
Melbourne to Tamworth – 2 May – 2
Melbourne to Toowoomba Wellcamp – 17 April – 4
Toowoomba Wellcamp to Townsville – 19 April – 2
Toowoomba Wellcamp to Whitsunday Coast – 21 April – 2
Tamworth to Sunshine Coast – 6 May – 2
Sunshine Coast to Albury – 7 April – 2
Sunshine Coast to Avalon – 21 February – 3
Sunshine Coast to Cairns – 27 March – 5
Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour – 20 April – 2
Sunshine Coast to Mackay – 14 February – 3
Sunshine Coast to Mildura – 4 April – 2
Sunshine Coast to Newcastle – 28 March – 4
Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie – 12 April – 2
Sunshine Coast to Rockhampton – 13 March – 3
Sunshine Coast to Townsville – 22 February – 4
Sunshine Coast to Whitsunday Coast – 31 January – 3
Cairns to MacKay – 29 March – 2
Cairns to Rockhampton – 31 March – 2
Newcastle to Whitsunday Coast – 30 March – 2
Rockhampton to Townsville – 24 February – 3
