It’s the start of a new era at Sunshine Coast Airport with the approval for Bonza Airlines to take to the skies.
The announcement that Bonza has been given the all clear by CASA to commence operations opens up new opportunities for the region’s business and leisure travellers as Sunshine Coast Airport connects to more destinations than ever before.
Sunshine Coast Airport CEO, Andrew Brodie was delighted to receive this news following Bonza’s proving flights early this month.
“This is fantastic news and a great way to kick off 2023,” he said.
“Bonza will now be able to go on sale and commence flights before the month is over,” Mr Brodie said.
“Bonza will initially service 13 destinations directly from Sunshine Coast, 10 of which have never been previously serviced.
“This will boost our airport from the 10th to the second most domestically connected airport in Queensland.’’
Based at Sunshine Coast Airport, Bonza will be the first airline to launch in Australia in more than 15 years.
The destinations Bonza is opening up for regional travellers is a game-changer for Australians, Mr Brodie said.
They are also providing a critical pathway in unlocking new market opportunities for business to explore.
“It is going to be exciting to watch and see how things evolve now that travel between the Sunshine Coast and these new destinations just became a whole lot easier,” Mr Brodie said.
Bonza’s start of services will bring an additional 772,000 seats into Sunshine Coast Airport and generate around $86million in domestic visitor spend in the first 12 months of operation.
Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said it was an historic moment for Australian aviation with the launch of the country’s only independent low-cost carrier.
The timing couldn’t be better with demand for domestic travel being so high.
Visit Sunshine Coast CEO Matt Stoeckel said the launch of Bonza was incredible news for the region.
“The new routes will open our destination up to markets we’ve never had direct access from before, and local tourism operators are incredibly excited about the positive impacts this level of connectivity will have on their business and the broader industry,” Mr Stoekel said.
Bonza will connect 13 destinations to Sunshine Coast, 10 of which have never been serviced before – Townsville, Mackay, Proserpine (Whitsundays), Rockhampton, Tamworth, Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, Albury, Avalon and Mildura.
This is in addition to existing flights to Cairns, Newcastle and Melbourne.
The news that Bonza will soon take to the skies reinforces the role the Sunshine Coast Airport plays as an economic enabler of, not just the region, but across the whole of South East Queensland.
The catchment for the airport is from Bundaberg to Caboolture and three hours to the west.
“We are forecast to welcome 1.5 million passengers in 22/23, which is up over 80 percent on the previous year,” Mr Brodie said.
“Records were broken in 2022 with increases in passenger numbers throughout the year and we expect more records to be broken in 2023 as Bonza ramps up its services over the coming months.”
