Budget airlines are nothing new, but in 2022, ‘ultra-low-cost’ flying will be just the ticket for eager Aussie travellers looking to make up for lost time without breaking the bank. Or at least that’s the hope of Bonza, a new domestic airline that is aiming to take to the skies in the second quarter of next year. Helmed by chief executive Tim Jordan, former head of Virgin Blue, Bonza won’t be trying to go toe-to-toe with the likes of Tigerair or Jetstar, which offer rapid shuttle services between capital cities. Instead, it will cater largely to less time-pressed leisure travellers, visiting popular tourist spots, particularly those less well-serviced destinations in rural and outback Australia.
The airline announced its intention to enter the market in October, but now Jordan has revealed new details of how Bonza will roll out and grow in its first year in the air. Within 12 months, Bonza aims to have a fleet of eight aircraft – Boeing 737-8 Max planes – which will serve 40 different routes between major cities and regional airports near popular holiday destinations. While Bonza is yet to be given the regulatory go-ahead, Jordan said that its first flights will take off before next June.
The airline’s boast of offering ultra-low-cost fares is achievable by only chartering three or four flights on its various routes per week, meaning that this handful of seats will have consistently high demand. The airline will also focus on serving destinations that travellers cannot currently access from state capitals without having to make a connecting flight and will also look at developing relationships with smaller airports where fees are likely to be lower.
Speaking at the Centre for Aviation (Capa) summit in Sydney on December 8, Jordan also hinted at plans to potentially open up Bankstown airport – a metropolitan airport in Sydney’s West which currently caters to flight schools and private charters. This would essentially make Bankstown the city’s third passenger airport after Sydney Kingsford Smith International Airport and the new Nancy-Bird Walton Airport, currently under construction near the planned ‘aerotropolis’ city of Bradfield.