Australia's Bonza delays Gold Coast to Darwin launch again

Bonza has again delayed the launch of its service between the Gold Coast and Darwin from 2 January to 19 March 2024. CEO Tim Jordan said the firm made the “difficult decision” – days before it was due to start – because beginning operations next month would put a “strain on our current capacity”. The latest announcement is the second pushback after the service was initially due to start on 1 December 2023. It followed a surprise delay in Bonza receiving clearance from CASA for its sister carrier, Flair, to operate the flights on a wet lease agreement. However, the safety watchdog finally gave Bonza the go-ahead on 19 December, leading to hopes the flights would depart on the revised timetable. “We want to be certain that we can provide a service that is reliable and to a standard that we’re proud of,” Jordan said. “We owe it to our customers and our Bonza legends to learn from our previous missteps by putting measures in place so that we can deliver reliable, low-cost air travel.”<br/>