Bonza sacked courted by cargo airline Texel Air after mass lay-offs

After two months of spotty pay and sudden lay-offs, a new air carrier is offering to provide jobs to terminated Bonza staff.

The axed staff of failed Australian airline Bonza have found an unlikely saviour, with a fledgling cargo service offering positions to those abandoned by the rural carrier.
The Auckland-based cargo airline and plane-leasing service Texel Air Australasia announced on Thursday it had hired seven Bonza employees, with more interviews to come.

From the current intake Texel hired six pilots and a logistics co-ordinator.
The carrier is set to interview former Bonza administrative support staff, engineers, crew schedulers and more logistics staff.

The trans-Tasman carrier has consulted with more than 30 former employees made redundant by Bonza’s shutdown.

“We look forward to hopefully welcoming some more Bonza employees on in the next couple of weeks,” Texel Air Australasia People and Culture head Anita Cavanough said.

“(We) have been really sympathetic and empathetic to the struggles that they’re going through at the moment, and we feel very humbled that we’ve been able to offer a number of positions.

“It’s not our intention to capitalise on Bonza’s misfortune. It’s about making sure that the positions that we are offering, and the positions that we’re considering candidates for, are in line with what suits them best.”

Texel Air is a relatively young company, acting as an offshoot of an European ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance) service based in Bahrain in the Middle East.

Bonza sacked 323 staff. Picture: Alison Wynd

Established by chairman John Chisholm in June 2023, the carrier boasts a five-plane fleet which it intends to double by 2026.
Texel Air specialises in operating Boeing 737s, the same planes used by Bonza before it entered administration.

It currently boasts 62 employees across Auckland, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne and Darwin. Four of its planes reside in Australia.

Ms Cavanough said that Bonza’s shutdown has “sent ripples” through the aviation industry.

“At Texel Air, we deeply empathise with those impacted and are committed to doing what we can to support our fellow aviation colleagues during this challenging time,” Ms Cavanough posted on LinkedIn.

“Together, we can navigate these turbulent times.

“It is with great pride that I share that Texel Air has been able to extend opportunities to seven exceptional Bonza team members, six of whom are skilled pilots.

“Hearing their stories and understanding their passion for aviation has been humbling, heartbreaking, and inspiring.

“While we have nearly filled all available positions in our Australian operations, Texel Air’s growth plans are on the horizon, and we remain committed to supporting the aviation community.”

It comes after Bonza on Tuesday sacked the 323 remaining staff members it left stood down for more than two months. In May, it was reported more than 150 staff had not been paid since their standing down.

The regional carrier was suddenly grounded in late April, with administrators Hall Chadwick repeatedly pushing back its return-to-service date as the airline sought a buyer.

Despite terminating staff to provide “certainty”, Hall Chadwick alleges it is still courting prospective buyers.

Bonza planes as the airline’s leases expire. Picture: Lachie Millard

Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine said the Texel Air jobs offered hope for a workforce who had been “burnt several times”.

“Worker shortages throughout the industry are rife, making job prospects hopeful for ex-Bonza crew,” Mr Kaine said.

“It’s a more complicated story though, with pilots unable to carry forward from airline to airline the progress they’ve made towards seniority levels, having to start from scratch with each move.

“Many aviation workers have now been burnt several times in an industry in crisis. Some Bonza staff also suffered the collapse of Tiger Air, a casualty of Virgin Australia falling into administration in 2020.”

TWU National Secretary Michael Kaine spoke at a Press Conference on Tuesday addressing the recent Bonza Airline collapse. Picture: NewsWire / John Appleyard

Mr Kaine warned uncertain employment and declining avenues for career advancement would push aviation workers overseas and out of the industry.
The TWU last week lobbied for a federal Safe and Secure Skies Commission to assess employment and service standards.

“We fear many may give up on this volatile industry and seek to retrain elsewhere – depriving aviation of yet more skill and experience,” he said.

“Rebuilding aviation requires structural change through regulatory oversight and binding standards.”

Texel has a seven-year contract with parcel provider Team Global Express.
Ms Cavanough said the contract would act as an assurance of long-term career prospects for new hires.

Originally published as Bonza sacked courted by cargo airline Texel Air after mass lay-offs