Bonza airlines to launch Mackay to Melbourne flights, Whitsunday to Newcastle

Australia’s newest airline will announce a swag of direct flights from Mackay Airport and Whitsunday Coast Airport in a major boon for the region. Check out the new flight options.

Mackay and the Whitsundays will be more connected to Australia’s backyard with budget airline Bonza announcing new direct flights to the region.

Billed as the biggest aviation announcement in the country for years, Bonza will fly direct from Mackay to Cairns, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast.

The Whitsunday Coast Airport will link to Newcastle, Toowoomba and the Sunshine Coast with Bonza’s fleet of new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft.

The flights are expected to launch in mid-2022, pending regulatory approval.

Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said the airline was yet to price the fares but pledged “bags will not be costing more than a flight”.

A new low cost carrier called Bonza is planning to takeoff in Australia by mid-2022.

She said Bonza’s competition was the drive market, with the Mackay and Whitsunday routes wanting to tap into the existing passenger base that would travel by car to destinations six to seven hours away.

“We’re here for leisure, here to give choice in the leisure market,” she said.

“We see our competition as likely the car and the couch.”

Ms Povey said Bonza believed in the region’s tourism growth potential, and the 14 weekly flights across the two airports were “critical” to the airline’s launch and success.

“Mackay and the Whitsunday coast are rightly very well represented in that announcement,” she said.

Bonza's chief commercial officer Carly Povey. Picture: Supplied

“There is a heavy focus on those two destinations and the potential we see in them.

“They are critical to Bonza’s plan and that is exactly why they are part of our announcement.”

Three new routes will fly from Mackay, with two flights a week to Cairns and Melbourne, and three to Maroochydore on the Sunshine Coast.

North Queensland Airports chief operating officer Garry Porter said Bonza made the approach before Christmas, and had the routes confirmed last week.

He said the Mackay routes, linking the sugar city to Cairns, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast, was about growing the existing market, not taking from existing carriers Virgin, Jetstar and Qantas.

“At a time when we are seeing more people coming to the Mackay Isaac region for leisure and to visit friends and relatives, it is great timing to be able to add to the network of destinations that will be linked directly to Mackay Airport,” he said.

“It’s opening opportunities for the region to grow and in particular, Mackay and Melbourne,” he said.

“We’ve been talking about this for two and a half years for (the Melbourne route) to come back and with the new tourism offerings like Wildcat and potential Keswick Island, and even the strategy from the (Mackay) council, it makes commercially viable sense for capital cities like Melbourne.”

North Queensland Airports chief operating officer Garry Porter. Picture: Tony Martin

Tiger previously flew Mackay-Melbourne but ceased in 2015.

“We used to have 25,000 direct passengers a year and if they come to the region and they spend some dollars, it all helps local businesses thrive,” Mr Porter said.

He said the Whitsunday-Newcastle route was a “great option for Airlie” because Newcastle was considered one of the fastest growing corridors in northern Sydney.

“Mackay … has been operating as the highest performing pre-Covid airport in Australia in the past two years when comparing like for like,” Mr Porter said.

He said Bonza was expected to deliver 75,000 new inbound passengers, or 150,000 seats a year on return trips.

“It is a big investment by the partnership of Mackay Tourism, Mackay Regional Council, Mackay Airport and Bonza, and the vision to improve the access to the region to make it the most liveable city bringing on new services to underpin the tourism market.

“It will show Mackay is a strong region and that we have not only one string to our bow, but multiple.

“We diversify and de-risk ourselves.”

Whitsunday Regional Council Mayor Andrew Willcox said the flights connecting the Whitsundays direct to the Sunshine Coast, Newcastle and Toowoomba opened up “a new market in our region”.

“And the best kicker of all for travellers is that Bonza is a budget airline committed to opening up routes to different parts of Australia,” he said.

“That adds up to cheaper airfares, more bums on seats and extra bodies in beds to boost our region’s economy.

“This is fantastic news for the Whitsunday business and tourism industry, and will improve connectivity to Australia’s most popular domestic tourism destination.”

Bonza has consigned a fleet of 186-seat Boeing 737 MAX aircraft which Ms Povey described as “the youngest, most fuel efficient aircraft in Australia”.

“The focus on experience and sustainability continues on board and the price point is like nothing people have experienced before.

“The consumer chooses – extra baggage, food on board, you only pay for what you use.”

The airline’s app controls the flight experience with passengers able to order meals, select seats, pay for extra baggage, and check latest travel news.

Ms Povey said Bonza wanted to be a market leader as a new airline.

“We don’t waste paper, we don’t have magazines on board, everything is in the app,” she said.

“It is really reactive and up to date with the news but also from a sustainability position, we want a paperless cabin from day one – a win for everyone.

“It would be shame on us as a brand new airline if we don’t drive that from the start.”

Whitsunday Mayor Andrew Willcox. Picture: Kirra Grimes

Ms Povey said the airline would use existing airport infrastructure and no check-in counters, except for bag drop.

Plans were under way for less tech-savvy passengers to book with Bonza through travel agents.

“Quite frankly, the past two years with Covid and QR codes has supercharged the opportunity to use an app approach,” Ms Povey said.

The app, which launches on Tuesday, will have functions added to it in coming weeks and can be used to book and manage flights, and check in and access boarding passes.

The Fly Bonza app is available from the Apple Store or Google Play.

Flights are due to go on sale within the next eight weeks, pending regulatory approval.