CNN
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Travelers across Australia are stranded trying to return home after low-cost airline Bonza unexpectedly announced a “temporary suspension of operations”.
Australia’s newest airline had a fleet of six planes, all painted bright purple and given Australian-sounding names such as Sheila and Matilda.
According to a report from a CNN affiliate 9 newsBonza is currently in a serious financial crisis.
In a statement on April 30th, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan According to the report, “the viability of the business is currently under discussion.”
He added: “We apologize to the customers affected by this.”
Australian Transport Minister Catherine King told reporters on Tuesday that she had spoken to Bonza representatives and urged them to provide sufficient information to passengers.
“We have made it clear to Bonza that we expect passengers to be informed of their options and changes and to respect some of their consumer rights,” King said.
“Our focus at this time is to assist Australian passengers who are stranded at the end of the school holidays.”
Bonza started with much fanfare in January 2023 with the slogan “Here for Allstralia”. It specialized in flights to smaller, underserved destinations such as Launceston in Tasmania and Gladstone in Queensland.
While this was a boon for residents of these areas, it has proven to be an added challenge for those struggling to return home following flight cancellations on Tuesday.
Qantas, Australia’s largest airline, flies only six of Bonza’s 36 routes. The airline said affected Bonza passengers would be eligible for a free ticket on a Qantas or Jetstar flight with an available seat, and urged affected customers to call its hotline for help. encouraged.
Virgin Australia also stepped into the breach.
“We will immediately support passengers stranded during their journey by offering them a free seat on a Virgin Australia-operated flight to the nearest airport to Bonza’s planned final destination.” The airline wrote to X (Formerly Twitter).
Bonza’s last Instagram post was posted on April 28th.
For now, the company’s website remains online, but you can’t book flights and all travel dates are blacked out.
