Bonza, the long-delayed budget carrier that has promised low-cost airfares and purple budgie smugglers on board, has cleared the final step of regulatory approval and will soon begin selling tickets.
The Australian government hopes the aspiring airline’s entry into the market will help reduce domestic fares.
Almost a year after Bonza intended to launch, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (Casa) on Thursday announced it had issued an air operator’s certificate, following a rigorous process that included checks on safety, business viability and final test flights in recent days.
Bonza will be Australia’s only independent low-cost carrier and is set to become the first major high-capacity airline to enter the local aviation market since Tigerair 15 years ago.
The carrier’s launch coincides with the soaring cost of jet fuel leading aviation experts to question whether Bonza can honour an early 2022 pledge that customers should expect to pay about $50 for every hour in the air.
Tim Jordan, Bonza’s chief executive, was optimistic about his airline’s future, calling Thursday’s announcement “a historic moment for Australian aviation”.
“The excitement for what we are about to deliver is palpable and the timing couldn’t be better,” Jordan said.
“Demand for domestic travel is high and Aussies deserve for travel to be a basic right for many, not a luxury for the few. This has never been truer with today’s cost of living challenges.”
Jordan said the first Bonza tickets would soon go on sale for flights departing from its Sunshine Coast base. Tickets will only be sold via Bonza’s smartphone app and through registered travel agents.
After issuing a call to regional councils to gauge interest, the airline established its base on the Sunshine Coast. It initially plans to offer services to 17 airports, including Cairns, the Whitsunday Coast, Melbourne, Port Macquarie, Newcastle and Mildura – but not Sydney.
Bonza will focus mostly on leisure destinations and routes without an existing non-stop service and will avoid flights between capital cities, Jordan has said.
The federal transport minister, Catherine King, said she hoped Bonza’s entry would help bring down airfares. Budget domestic prices are at highs not seen since 2004.
“The entry of a new operator will boost competition in the Australian aviation sector, offering more choice to the travelling public and putting downward pressure on fares,” King said on Thursday.
“This is a welcome milestone for Bonza and for Australian aviation as the sector continues its recovery from the Covid pandemic.”
King commended staff from Casa and Bonza for working “hard over many months to progress this certification and to ensure that Bonza meets the high safety standards required of all airlines operating in Australia”.
Pip Spence, Casa’s chief executive, said granting Bonza an air operator’s certificate was “a significant milestone” and the approvals process had been “complex”.
“Australia has one of the safest aviation industries in the world and travellers should be assured when they get on a Bonza aircraft that the operator has been assessed in detail to ensure it complies with the same safety requirements as other Australian airlines,” Spence said.
Bonza is backed by the US private investment firm 777 Partners, which funds several budget carriers around the world. The firm plans to lease to Bonza eight Boeing 737-8 Max planes. It has already received three, which it named Sheila, Shazza and Bazza.
Those names are part of the branding campaign Bonza has driven since it first presented its purple colour scheme when unveiling its intention to become Australia’s first ultra-low cost carrier in October 2021. Budgie smugglers and bikinis featuring the airline’s logo will be sold onboard, with an in-flight atmosphere Jordan expects to be shaped by “holidaymakers, bachelor parties, leisure and fun”.
Cabin crew will wear sneakers and shorts, and will be allowed to mix and match their own uniforms.
