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Jetstar is set to yet again increase its capacity out of the Sunshine Coast, in a boon for the airport following the collapse of Bonza.
The carrier on Wednesday said it would add 49,000 seats on Sydney and Melbourne services from the Queensland destination, commencing in July.
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Bonza only launched in 2023 but entered voluntary administration in April 2024 after all its planes were seized by lessor AIP Capital.
However, the Sunshine Coast was the carrier’s major base, with the airline operating flights to Albury, Avalon, Cairns, Darwin, Launceston, Melbourne, Mackay, Mildura, Newcastle and Whitsunday Coast.
Post-Bonza, the airport’s network dramatically dwindled to include only Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Auckland.
The extra capacity will be facilitated by more flights and larger aircraft and comes after Jetstar previously announced 34,000 seats between Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast from March to June this year.
Jetstar’s executive manager of commercial planning, Lyle Brownscombe, said the carrier is seeing growing demand for low-fare flights to the Sunshine Coast.
“This is the third time we’ve expanded our Sunny Coast network in the past six months – with flights to Auckland and Cairns launching last December – and we’re excited to be giving travellers even more budget-friendly flights to and from the region,” Brownscombe said.
“July to October are some of the best months to visit Queensland, and we expect these extra seats to be really popular with southerners looking for a winter escape.”
Australian Aviation reported in June last year how Sunshine Coast Airport was set for a dramatic reduction in passenger numbers following Bonza’s demise.
During Bonza’s last full month in operation, for example, the airport’s passenger numbers were 65 per cent larger than the same month in pre-pandemic 2019. That capacity, though, was stripped away almost instantly when Bonza’s aircraft were repossessed.
It led to the Sunshine Coast’s mayor warning that the incident could cost the region more than $100 million.
Mayor Rosanna Natoli wrote to then-Queensland Premier Steven Miles asking for help from the state government, arguing the Sunshine Coast had benefited considerably from Bonza’s presence since its launch. Sunshine Coast Airport was the carrier’s first of three hubs.
According to Natoli, Bonza had accounted for more than 20 per cent of the airport’s activity since its first flight, bringing in more than 490,000 additional passengers.
“Its presence, along with the other major airlines, helped achieve a record number of interstate visitors last year. I have written to the Premier of Queensland to explain what this loss means to our region,” she said.
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