Australian airline Bonza cancels all flights amid reports planes repossessed
Amelia McGuireApril 30, 2024, • 09:22am
- All flights by Australian carrier Bonza have been cancelled.
- Reports say some aircraft have been repossessed.
- It is the first high-capacity, low-cost carrier to launch in Australia since now-defunct Virgin subsidiary Tigerair took off 15 years ago.
All flights operated by
budget carrier Bonza have been wiped from Australia’s departure boards on Tuesday as the outlook for the country’s smallest airline grows more uncertain.
Passengers attempting to fly from the Sunshine Coast, Melbourne, Gold Coast and Avalon arrived at the respective airports on Tuesday morning to find their flights had been cancelled.
Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan apologised to customers in a statement and said he was considering the viability of the business, but did not confirm or deny whether any of its aircraft had been repossessed as
reported by The Australian Financial Review.
“Bonza has temporarily suspended services due to be operated today (Tuesday April 30) as discussions are under way regarding the ongoing viability of the business,” said Jordan.
“We apologise to 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.”
Australian discount airline Bonza is in strife after multiple domestic flights were cancelled.
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Bonza has previously denied engaging restructuring firm KordaMentha to work on its future.
The airline launched its ambitious plan to fly to largely unserviced parts of Australia with low-cost fares in January
last year. Since then, it has cut a swathe of routes last year due to a lack of demand in an attempt to boost reliability on its more popular services.
Bonza’s fleet was originally owned by its parent company, 777 Partners, but the private equity group’s creditors have since created a new vehicle which now owns the company’s 30 Max-8 aircraf
Over the past year, Bonza has been hamstrung by fleet issues, with multiple Bonza branded planes redirected to one of 777 Partners’ other airlines.
Bonza’s fleet of four Boeing 737 Max-8s has been struggling to service its route map and also cater to pilot training requirements. This has resulted in many frustrated customers experiencing last-minute cancellations or delays, while aspiring pilots are unable to complete their training as scheduled.
It is the first high-capacity, low-cost carrier to launch in Australia since now-defunct Virgin subsidiary Tigerair took off 15 years ago. It has positioned itself as a leisure carrier targeting tourism destinations in regional Australia, rather than competing with Qantas or Virgin, which service high-frequency routes.
Although it is a model that has worked well across Europe and Asia, critics have expressed concern Bonza’s structure is unsustainable due to Australia’s size and small population.
- Sydney Morning Herald
https://www.stuff.co.nz/travel/35026...es-repossessed