Flight AB 001 makes history at Sunshine Coast Airport

Bonza’s first plane has landed at Sunshine Coast Airport, landing a massive coup for our region.

In one of the largest launch announcements in Australian aviation history, Sunshine Coast Airport was in February named the first Bonza base and headquarters location for the nation’s only independent airline.

The arrival of the first plane, which left Seattle on July 29, flew to Honolulu on July 30 and then left Fiji Monday morning, marking an important milestone for the company and supporting the ongoing momentum with the regulatory process.

It is the first Boeing 737 MAX based in Australia and will be part of a fleet of new and fuel-efficient aircraft.

They will serve Australian travelers flying to an initial 17 destinations across 27 routes.

Destinations that will soon be available to Coast residents are: (Queensland) Cairns, Townsville, Mackay, Whitsundays Coast, Rockhampton; (NSW) Port Coffs, Port Macquarie, Newcastle, Albury, Tamworth; (Victoria) Melbourne, Avalon and Mildura.

Bonza, which hopes to upgrade by the end of September, has 200 pilot and cabin crew roles to fill across its network, with 100 of those “Legends” to be based on the Sunshine Coast.

Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said the company was “very excited” to welcome its first plane to Sunshine Coast Airport.

“With so much buzz across the country for Bonza, we hope it will also appeal to the community we are going to,” he said.

“Our team of legends have worked hard behind the scenes to achieve this important milestone and so it is important that we are all here to welcome flight AB 001 together.

“We are now one step closer to connecting more Australians with convenient cheap travel options to more destinations to holiday and visit loved ones.”

The plane will finish its interior on the Australian coast. It will be used as a backup aircraft, a clear investment in customer experience and part of Bonza’s strategy to minimize potential disruption to customers wherever possible.

Additional aircraft will follow and ultimately support Bonza’s planned growth beyond its initial Sunshine Coast and Melbourne bases.

The first Bonza plane arrived at its base on the Coast.

“This is an exciting time for Australian airlines and most importantly, Australians traveling now will enjoy more choices,” Jordan said.

“Ninety-three percent of Bonza’s routes are currently not served by other airlines (25 of 27 routes) and 96 percent are currently not served by low-cost airlines,” he said.

“Flights are expected to start at around $50 for every hour the customer is in the air and 8kg of carry-on baggage is included in the price of the flight.”

Sunshine Coast Airport CEO Andrew Brodie said the arrival of Bonza’s first plane on the Sunshine Coast was “an important day for the region”.

“We are very proud to be named the home base for Bonza,” he said.

“Our partnership with Bonza will benefit regions, states and communities, connecting more people to more places, bringing them closer to the moments that matter most.

“The arrival of Bonza is a game changer for the Sunshine Coast which will create more local jobs and spearhead tourism and business growth in the wider region.”

Cabin crew will wear casual and trendy uniforms.

Earlier this month, Bonza announced its IATA code as ‘AB’ in tribute to Andrew Brodie and his team who welcomed Bonza to the Sunshine Coast as his home base. It also represents Bonza’s mission to get customers from A to B without C (cost and hassle).

Aussies are encouraged to download the Fly Bonza app, which will be the only place to order in person.

The airline is also asking Australians to help name the planes by asking them to comment on Bonza’s social media pages with their nicknames.

“Who better to name our first plane than the people we serve here. If you have a nickname that would look great on the side of our first plane, visit our Instagram and Facebook pages and let us give you a nickname,” Jordan said.

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