Qantas’ low-cost arm has announced a new service from the Sunshine Coast to Cairns, which will operate up to four times per week using A320-200 aircraft starting 3 December. The route is one of 10 that had been operated by Bonza from its former hub until it went into voluntary administration in April.
Hall Chadwick argued in its report to creditors that funding from the Miami-based investment firm, on which Bonza relied to keep operating, was “not sufficient to meet the company’s operational requirements”.
In its report to creditors, Hall Chadwick blamed a number of factors for the business’s failure, including “insufficient” and “sporadic” funding from parent company 777 Partners, and recommended the company be wound up.
Sources cited in The Australian say Paul Jones, who sensationally defected from Qantas in 2020, is the favourite to take over from outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka as the airline’s owner Bain Capital reportedly prepares for an IPO by Christmas. Hrdlicka announced her shock departure in February.
Flight 3K161 from Changi Airport touched down in Broome shortly before 2:15pm local time on Tuesday after a flight time of around four hours. The return service will operate twice per week until October, resuming in April 2025, and will add around 13,000 seats per year between the two cities.
In a survey of 1,500 people conducted between 31 May and 4 June, 50 per cent said government should support low-cost carriers to “enable a competitive market and to keep air travel accessible to more Australians”, with 27 per cent opposed and 23 per cent undecided.