Speaking at the Senate on Wednesday, Jayne Hrdlicka said Transport Minister Catherine King personally told her about the then-Qantas CEO's views in January and added that had requested a meeting to discuss the decision.
It comes after Australia’s newest carrier surprisingly revealed that Canadian airline Flair would send aircraft and crew to fly Bonza-branded flights in the Australian summer, while Bonza would reciprocate and send its planes and people to Canada during the North American peak season.
The partnership will see international Skyports pilots embedded within Carbonix to perform data acquisition missions for the latter’s mining and energy clients. The pilots will aim to improve Carbonix’s operational capabilities over the long term.
In a submission to the Senate inquiry into Australia’s bilateral air rights agreements, the carrier – a codeshare partner of Qatar – questioned the logic behind denying the Middle Eastern airline the right to increase its frequency into Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth from the current 28 flights per week.
Over 90 per cent of Menzies Cargo TWU members in Brisbane, who supply cargo services to United Airlines, Qatar, Air Canada, Cathay Pacific and Eva Air, will walk off the job on Thursday and Friday, saying they are being paid $6,000 less than counterparts in Sydney and Melbourne for the same work.
Speaking exclusively to Australian Aviation, Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said that during holiday periods, routes such as Albury to Sunshine Coast are 100 per cent full on most days while average load factors in off-peak periods are in the 70s.