Dark Days for Australia’s Budget Carrier Bonza

Australian low-cost regional carrier Bonza has canceled all flights, stranding thousands of passengers across Australia. The airline has been forced to suspend operations while management plans a way to deal with its financial troubles.

Voluntary Business Administration

The budget airline has temporarily suspended all flights on Tuesday, April 30 after all of its aircraft were repossessed by lessors. The company has since entered voluntary business administration.

The airline said in a statement, “Bonza has temporarily suspended services due to be operated today (Apr.30), as discussions are currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business.”

Bonza Fleet Grounded

The Guardian reports that Bonza’s fleet has been grounded until the end of Thursday. Its business administrators advise passengers with bookings not to turn up to the airport.

Shortly after Bonza’s flight cancellations were reported, Australia’s transport minister, Catherine King, said her department had contacted the airline. 

King said, “Our expectation is that they keep passengers informed of their options and their consumer rights.”

Financial Difficulties 

The financial turmoil has left thousands of passengers stranded across Australia as flights were unexpectedly canceled on all Bonza routes.

Bonza apologized to passengers who were affected by the flight cancellations. It says it is working to ensure the survival of the company so that passengers can continue to take advantage of its domestic services.

“We apologise 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,” Bonza said.

Bonza launched operations just over a year ago. The Independent states that Bonza is the first budget airline to launch in Australia since 2007. The airline operates scheduled domestic flights on 36 routes.

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Lorne Philipot

Lorne is a South Africa-based aviation journalist. He was captivated and fascinated by flying from the day he took his first airline flight. With a passion for aviation in his blood, he has flown to destinations in all corners of the globe. Lorne has traveled extensively and lived in various countries. Drawing on his travels and passion for aviation, Lorne enjoys writing about airlines, routes, networks, and new developments.

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