Bonza airlines failure expected to impact Albury tourism success

Albury City Mayor, Kylie King says the Council is “extremely disappointed” on learning that budget airline, Bonza, has this week entered voluntary administration.

The airline made public the state of its financial state on Tuesday morning, cancelling flights across the country.

Mayor King said the service that Bonza has provided since its launch in January 2023 has supported significant numbers of visitors to the region and provided the opportunity for locals to travel more frequently to Queensland’s Sunshine and Gold Coast, commenting “feedback from our community has been overwhelmingly positive and they have appreciated our collaboration with Bonza to enable services to be provided from our region.

“The airline business is not without its challenges. Like many airport operators across the country, we have had to ride the ups and downs experienced by airline operators to ensure that connectivity to and from our region meets the needs of our community and economy.”

Adding that the Council will actively engage with the administrators and are seeking legal advice in relation to the recovery of any outstanding funds owed to Albury City, Mayor King added “until such time as we have worked through this process, details of any funds owed will remain confidential.”

“We empathise with those impacted by Bonza’s actions and encourage them to contact the Australian Government hotline for affected passengers on 1800 069 244.”

Bonza Chief Executive, Tim Jordan confirmed on Tuesday that all flights had been “temporarily suspended” as administration talks get underway.

A company statement advised “we’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market.”