The budget airline Bonza, which serves the UK, Australia, and several other countries, is going bankrupt. Its leased planes have been repossessed, and all of its scheduled flights have been canceled.
The decision to slip into the state of “voluntary administration” left travelers stranded in Australian airports the morning of April 30. The administrators who will be overseeing the re-organization are understood to be business advisor Hal Chadwick and a number of accountants.
Tim Jordan, the CEO of Bonza, issued a statement early on Tuesday apologizing to customers affected by the sudden cessation of services, and insisted that the situation was temporary.
Bonza airlines launched just a year ago, in 2023, backed by 777 Partners, a private American investment firm. A leaked internal memo reveals that the airline’s flights were suddenly grounded because repossession proceedings had been opened by the owner of Bonza’s leased aircraft. The move, said Jordan, came as a surprise to both Bonza and to 777 Partners.
Jordan says Bonza is currently weighing its options.
Flights suspended include those heading to or from the Sunshine Coat, Launceston, Melbourne, the Gold Coast, Alice Springs, and others.
One family of five who was stranded reports having spent more than three thousand dollars trying to find a new way home after their flight from the Gold Coast to Launceston was canceled. They wound up renting a car to drive to Brisbane, in order to catch a different flight to Sidney, where they will lay over for a night in a hotel before finally getting onto a flight for home on Wednesday.
Catherine King, the Australian Federal Transport Minister, has revealed that the Ministry maintains a hot-line for transported passengers, which can be reached at 1800 069 244.
King says that she has put Bonza on notice that they must keep passengers apprised of their consumer rights and options as the situation unfolds. Meanwhile, Qantas, Jetstar, and Virgin Australia have offered flights to stranded passengers, free of charge.
