Bonza has today revealed its third base will be Gold Coast Airport with two aircraft confirmed to operate to 11 existing Bonza destinations.

Gold Coast travellers will be able to paint the skies purple when heading to or from Albury, Bundaberg, Cairns, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne Avalon, Melbourne Tullamarine, Mildura, Rockhampton, Townsville and the Whitsunday Coast.

Flights will be on sale very soon, through the airline’s app. Starting fares will range from $49 to $79 per person one way. Travellers are urged to sign up in the Fly Bonza app today to be the first to know when the new routes are on sale.

“Today’s announcement is about creating more depth in our network by connecting existing Bonza destinations with the Gold Coast and also the gateway from there to Northern NSW. It is a huge boost for the economy and allows people in our existing destinations the opportunity to book an affordable flight to Gold Coast Airport and take a much-deserved holiday or long-awaited visit to friends and family,” said Tim Jordan, CEO of Bonza.

“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.”

Bonza’s Gold Coast route map (Supplied)

The airline said there will be additional and new destinations that will connect with the Gold Coast and those will be revealed 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.

This next phase of Bonza’s growth will see 70 new flights per week and almost 700,000 additional passenger seats a year into and out of Gold Coast Airport.

Ultimately, the announcement will create more than 100 direct jobs, with recruitment to start imminently.

Initially, Bonza will partner with an airline wet lease provider to enable families to holiday and connect with each other over Christmas and peak school holidays at a time when global aircraft supply is challenged.

At this morning’s Bonza GC launch

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,” 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.

“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.”

Tim Jordan said recruitment for roles at the Gold Coast will commence soon.

“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.

“We also know that our customers love to support local as much as we do and an additional 11 routes on the Bonza map will mean even more positive demand for products on our all Aussie menu. Many of our menu providers have seen growth in their own businesses with some hiring new staff and taking out larger premises as a direct result of our partnership with them,” added Jordan.

The new base at the Gold Coast comes less than a month after Bonza announced it was cutting five routes.

In a letter penned by Carly Povey, the airline’s chief commercial officer, she said that five routes (Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour, Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie, Sunshine Coast to Tamworth, Cairns to Mackay and Toowoomba Wellcamp to Whitsunday Coast) will be removed from the airline’s initial route map whilst other routes will have their frequencies reduced.

Three of the strong performing routes, namely Sunshine Coast to Albury, Sunshine Coast to Melbourne (Avalon) plus Melbourne to Port Macquarie, will welcome an additional flight each week.