Australian Ultra Low Cost Carrier (ULCC) Bonza Airlines has entered into voluntary administration on April 30, 2024. With little to no warning, the airline abruptly terminated all flights. On Bonza’s website the following message appears on the homepage, “Bonza has temporarily suspended services due to be operated between Tues 30 April, Wed 1 and Thursday 2 May, as discussions are currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business. We apologize to our customers who are impacted by this and we’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market.”
A Volatile Ultra Low Cost Market
The ULCC market has proven to be a challenging one for startup airlines. In February of 2024 Canadian ULCC operator Lynx Air ceased operations after financial difficulties. Bonza has also run into similar financial woes. The BBC reported that Bonza’s eight Boeing 737 MAX were possibly repossessed by creditors. This however has not been officially confirmed by Bonza Airlines. Unfortunately in a post pandemic environment, many ULCC airlines are struggling to keep financial viability as is the case with Bonza.
Resources For Affected Passengers
Other Australian Airlines are assisting passengers who were scheduled to fly on Bonza. Qantas subsidiary Jetstar is offering any passenger with a canceled Bonza flight to fly with JetStar at no cost (pending seat availability) to a destination Jetstar operates. This includes the following routes:
- Melbourne – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
- Melbourne – Sunshine Coast (Jetstar)
- Avalon – Gold Coast (Jetstar)
- Gold Coast – Cairns (Jetstar)
- Melbourne – Mildura (QantasLink)
- Melbourne – Alice Springs (Qantas)
Affected Bonza passengers can contact Jetstar and Qantas on either live chat or by calling the call center. The federal transport department has also set up an emergency help hotline; 800 069 244.