'YOU BEAUT' News – Gold Coast Airport Named Bonza’s New Airline Base

Gold Coast Airport (GCA) will initially welcome up to 70 additional flights each week, to 11 destinations as part of a deal with Bonza – cementing GCA as the airline’s newest base. The deal, worth more than $100 million to the local economy, will see 2 aircraft servicing 8 newroutes from Gold Coast Airport to Albury, Bundaberg, Gladstone, Mackay, Mildura, Whitsunday Coast, Rockhampton and Townsville as well additional services to Gold Coast Airport’s existing Cairns, Avalon and Melbourne routes. Four of the announced routes have never been serviced before (Bundaberg,Gladstone,Whitsunday Coast and Mildura), with the airline planning to launch new destinations that will fly from the Gold Coast.

Flights on the new routes are set to go on sale before the end of the week ranging from $49 to $79 oneway. Those signed up in the Fly Bonza app will be first to know when Gold Coast flights are on  sale with the app being the only place to book direct.

Queensland Airports Limited CEO Amelia Evans said the new partnership between Gold Coast Airport and Bonza will provide a big boost to the local economy.

“This is a significant announcement, the commencement of these new routes will deliver more than one hundred million dollars in economic benefit to this region each year,” Ms Evans said.

“Not only will Bonza bring more tourists to the Gold Coast and Northern New South Wales region, giving our destination an opportunity to showcase our region, it will also open up connections for our locals to connect with loved ones across regional Australia,” Ms Evans said.

“Many of these routes are new to our network and they’re also very competitively priced which is great news for our customers and for visitors to our region,” she said.

“New routes from the Gold Coast also mean locals from South Brisbane down to Northern NSW regions, like Ballina and Byron Bay, have the chance to explore their own backyard with low-cost flights to regional locations like Mildura, Bundy and Townsville to name a few,” said Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza.

“Our new base means pilots and cabin crew who live here can come home after a day’s flying and enjoy the lifestyle that the region has to offer.

The airline says it will be adding additional and new destinations from its Gold Coast base when the time is right.

We’ll be adding new destinations to our route map that will fly from the Gold Coast and we continue to welcome conversations with airports around the country as we fulfil our mission to connect communities. Our focus continues to be on unserved and underserved markets that we know would benefit from low cost flights,” said Jordan. 

Queensland Tourism Minister Stirling Hinchliffe said Gold Coast Airport’s new aviation partnership was good news for destinations across Queensland. “Landing Bonza’s new aviation base will connect many thousands of new potential visitors direct to the Gold Coast, the nation’s favourite holiday destination,” Mr Hinchliffe said.

"Direct services from Albury and Mildura, plus additional flights from Melbourne are Bonza news for the Gold Coast visitor economy and more, good local Gold Coast jobs.

“With new flights to Bundaberg, Gladstone and the Whitsundays, Bonza’s Gold Coast base is primed to spread economic benefits to destinations up and down the Queensland coast.” 
Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate welcomed the news.

"It's touchdown for Bonza at our city's world-class airport terminal," said Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate. 

"Bonza creates more choice for locals as well as visitors heading our way from key regional centres.”

"We have worked tirelessly to lure more carriers to the coast and I warmly welcome Bonza to Australia's tourism capital." 

Destination Gold Coast Interim COO Rachel Hancock said the new services will provide travellers with greater options to experience the Gold Coast. 

“Whether it's for a family holiday, a romantic getaway or a trip with friends, the Gold Coast has 
something to offer for everyone,” Ms Hancock said. “From golden beaches to ancient rainforest, sweeping cityscapes with an unmatched offering of eateries, shopping precincts and exciting places to play, there's nowhere better to indulge.”

Bonza’s new routes will provide a significant boost to GCA’s network, adding up to half a million 
additional passenger seats a year.

The news comes a month after Gold Coast Airport recorded its third busiest June on record welcoming more than 482,000 passengers through the terminal – around 7,500 more than the same period in 2019.

The first Bonza aircraft will start progressively introducing services from its GCA base from November 2023 in time for the Aussie summer holidays.