Australian startup airline Bonza is pushing its still unconfirmed first flight date back to at least sometime in September. The airline had flagged the first flights in mid-2022. But Bonza still awaits its first plane and the all-important air operator’s certificate (AOC). While plenty of pundits reckon the airline will never take off, Bonza remains resolutely upbeat about its prospects.
Bonza knows when its first MAX is landing, but it isn’t yet saying when
In a letter to “all Aussie Travellers” just posted online, Bonza Chief Customer Officer Carly Povey updates how the startup is traveling. While the airline knows when its first plane will land in Australia, they declined to give a hard date, and questions from Simple Flying yielded a similar response. The statement read,
“We’re getting closer to take-off, which means we’re getting clearer on potential start dates. Having this locked in is key to going on sale with our first wave of flights. One key input is that we now have confirmation of when our first aircraft will touch down on Aussie shores. This is slightly later than first expected but gives us the clarity we need to map out the in-country process that starts once they touch down. In short, we’re making good progress, and in the coming weeks, I will provide further updates.”
Bonza plans to start flying with four 737 MAX 8s and says it will double its fleet to eight MAXs within the first 12 months of operation. But before any of them can take off, Bonza will need its AOC. In a veiled reference, Ms Povey said Bonza is “progressing through the regulatory process.”
Bonza plans to have eight MAXs in the air within 12 months of first flights taking off. Photo: Bonza
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Industry insiders tell Simple Flying even the best prepared AOC application can take 12 months to wind its way through the Australian bureaucracy. Industry insiders also suggested Bonza was falling behind its…
