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Bonza chose Australian names for its aircraft, such as VH-UJK “Sheila”, pictured here touching down at Toowoomba Wellcamp in April 2023. (Lenn Bayliss)
How Bonza went from boom to bust
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Two years ago, Bonza – Australia’s newest jet airline, and its only independent low-cost carrier – collapsed in a day after its aircraft were pulled out from under it, leaving passengers, staff, and directors alike high and dry. Now, its former CEO Tim Jordan speaks exclusively to Australian Aviation on what went wrong – and what lessons can be learned from the wreckage.
In January 2024, a year after its maiden flight, Bonza’s CEO Tim Jordan spoke to Australian Aviation about the low-cost carrier’s first anniversary. At the time, Bonza seemed to be tracking relatively well, was ironing out most of the pain points for customers, and looked to be on a path to break even by year’s end. Jordan, at the time, was full of optimism and told Australian Aviation he hoped the airline would be well-established in the sector within another 12 months.
“This year is a big year for us. We want to be well on our way to profitability this year. That’s the challenge that we have,” he said at the time. “We know that we wouldn’t exist without our investors. They absolutely jumped in. I spent 12 years looking for Australian investors, and we have an investor who sees the opportunity, but ultimately, they want to go on a journey towards a return on their investment, and 2024 is significant in that regard. So, we’ve got to go on that journey because it’s important for us to do so.
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