Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport now home to Bonza after first flight arrives in Garden City

Up to 150,000 cheap tickets will be up for grabs in and out of Toowoomba every year through new low-cost airline Bonza, after it arrived at Wellcamp Airport on Monday.

Toowoomba residents have been urged to get behind the arrival of cheap flights between the Garden City and three destinations or risk losing the service in the future.

Up to 150,000 passengers could potentially fly in and out of Toowoomba per year on new low-cost carrier Bonza, which touched down its first flight from Melbourne at Wellcamp Airport on Monday.

The flight, which carried 132 passengers including airport company co-owners John and Denis Wagner, will be the first of four Boeing 737 MAX planes to travel to and from Melbourne per week – at a cost of $79 one-way.

Bonza will also make two weekly flights each to Townsville and the Whitsundays from Toowoomba, as part of the second-stage of its rollout of 27 routes across eastern Australia.

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

Company CEO Tim Jordan said he saw an opportunity for new air tourism markets across the country, but that investment needed to be met with a response from residents.

“We are here in the Toowoomba region because we see the opportunity that’s here,” he said.

“We are a business that requires high occupancy for our business model, and that is why we’re able to offer the really low fares.

“We would encourage all of those people within the region to take this opportunity to go and explore and to stop driving down the hill and jump on our wonderful purple aircraft.”

The first flight comes after some aviation experts questioned the viability of many of the routes Bonza was planning to run.

John Wagner said he envisaged Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport eventually catering up to 500,000 passengers per year, calling Bonza an important step towards that dream.

Celebrating the first Bonza flight to Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport from Melbourne are (from left) Wagner Corporation chairman John Wagner and Bonza CEO Tim Jordan.

“It’s good for both people wanting to go to Melbourne and people to come up here,” he said on the tarmac.

“$79 a ticket, how good is that? The parking at Brisbane would cost a couple of hundred.

“I’m the eternal optimist, so we should really be doing 400,000 or 500,000 people a year, which is what Rockhampton does for instance. If Rocky can do it, why can’t Toowoomba?

“We’ve got a beautiful terminal and airport and a great region, so why wouldn’t we capitalise on it?”

Mr Wagner said it was not only important residents invested in the service but that local tourism operators and organisations promoted it.

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

“Toowoomba typically, and I’m sick of hearing it, is considered a drive-in market,” he said.

“There were 2.5 million tourists and a majority drove in and drove out.

“I’m confident that with Bonza, particularly with their schedules and pricing, we can significantly increase Toowoomba as a fly-in, fly-out market.

“I would really encourage Southern Queensland Country Tourism to get behind it and help make this service a success.”

Passengers on the inaugural flight reported a positive experience, with some saying the ticket price even with extra costs for baggage was worth avoiding a drive to Brisbane.

“I paid about $130 with luggage, which is still $200 less than what I’d pay by going via Brisbane, and not having to pay for parking,” resident Kirsty Hutton said.

Rachael Cook (left) was on the first Bonza flight from Melbourne to Toowoomba to visit her mother Annette Mavin.

Melbourne woman Rachael Cook took the flight up with her partner to visit her mother Annette and was equally happy with the time saved.

“It was about $200 per person, which is pretty good for a flight — otherwise we’d have to drive to Brisbane and that’s a big drive for mum,” she said.