Bonza’s Wellcamp flight routes empty as Jetstar makes move

As Jetstar moves in on some of Bonza’s previous routes, the future of the void left by the low-cost carrier from Wellcamp Toowoomba remains in limbo.

The first Bonza flight from Melbourne lands at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport on April 17, 2023.

The disappointment of the collapse of the low-cost airline Bonza to the Darling Downs in June has continued to be felt across the region, with barely a hope that another airline might take up the route.

But a shimmer of hope might have appeared after an announcement on Wednesday from low-cost competitor Jetstar that stated they would start operating the Cairns-Sunshine Coast route, a previous Bonza route.

As to whether the airline might be contemplating a move to pick up any of the routes from Toowoomba Wellcamp, a spokesman form Jetstar said that there had been no announcement made over it, but that “they were always looking for new opportunities”.

It comes after a long list of bungles from Bonza after Toowoomba residents discovered their holiday plans were thrown into disarray after low-cost carrier went into voluntary administration in April, leaving Wellcamp passengers stranded.

The announcement signalled the end of the carrier’s 15-month career in the skies and came only weeks after it celebrated its first 50,000 customers on Toowoomba flights within its first year.

With no buyers coming forward, the airline’s 323 staff were stood down, Bonza planes flown out of Australia, tipping the airline in voluntary administration, with the whole bungle leaving creditors on edge and staff still waiting for pay.