Bonza takes flight

We are pleased to advise that the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has now issued an Air Operators Certificate (AOC) to Bonza which provides regulatory approval to fly scheduled passenger-carrying flights in Australia.

Bonza commenced operations on Tuesday 31 January 2023.

The Bonza network focusses on unserved and underserved markets, resulting in the Bonza jet aircraft (Boeing 737-8 MAX) travelling on flight paths which may not have significant airline jet aircraft operations presently.

The Boeing 737-8 MAX aircraft is a technologically advanced aircraft with reduced noise and emissions, however residents may see and hear aircraft which they are not accustomed to.

Bonza is headquartered at Sunshine Coast Airport. This will result in an increase in movements at this airport. Currently there are 125 movements in and out of Sunshine Coast Airport on its busiest day. Based on Bonza’s current flight schedule there will be an additional 12 movements at Sunshine Coast Airport on its busiest day. The first departure of Bonza aircraft for the day is currently scheduled for 6.45am with the last flight scheduled to arrive at 10.05pm.

Some of the destinations to be serviced by Bonza currently have few or no jet operations and will likely notice the introduction of Bonza’s Boeing 737-8 MAX jet aircraft. The table below shows current and expected changes in busy day operations at Bonza’s proposed destinations.

The 90th percentile of movements is used to define a ‘busy day’. In this instance, it means that 90% of the daily movements over the 12 month period are below this 'busy day' threshold, and only 10% of the daily movements are higher.

Proposed Bonza flights to Whitsunday Coast (Proserpine) are scheduled to take place three times per week, with one return flight on Tuesdays and two return flights on Thursdays and Sundays. Residents in areas such as Dittmer, Kelsey Creek, Gunyarra and Lethebrook may notice an increase in aircraft movements in this area.

Airports such as Albury, Mildura, Port Macquarie, and Tamworth currently do not have jet aircraft movements and as such, residents in these areas may also notice a change.