Thousands stranded as airline cancels all flights

Australia's newest fund hose has gone into voluntary administration, aft abruptly cancelling each of its flights connected Tuesday.

Bonza's fiscal woes person near thousands of passengers stranded astir the country.

Operating since past year, the bearer had been the archetypal to motorboat successful Australia since 2007.

Aviation remains 1 of the nation's astir concentrated industries, dominated by Qantas and Virgin Australia.

"We apologise to our customers who are impacted by this and we're moving arsenic rapidly arsenic imaginable to find a mode guardant that ensures determination is ongoing contention successful the Australian aviation market," Bonza said successful a statement.

The institution has appointed Hall Chadwick arsenic voluntary administrators for its operating and holding company, according to documents filed with Australia's firm regulator.

Bonza's 8 planes - a Boeing 737 Max fleet - were repossessed by creditors connected Tuesday, according to section media. The hose has not confirmed the claim.

Passenger Mel Watkins, who was owed to alert to Launceston for a household holiday, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) that she was "absolutely shattered" by quality her formation had been axed.

"I thought it's an Australian airline, and we'd beryllium amended disconnected supporting a tiny company, but it turns retired no," she said.

The national transport section acceptable up an exigency assistance hotline for passengers connected Tuesday, aft planes were cancelled crossed Queensland and Victoria.

Qantas Group and Virgin Australia - which relationship for 95% of the nation's home aviation marketplace - each offered to assistance anyone stranded mid-journey.

Based successful Queensland's Sunshine Coast, Bonza launched successful 2021, promising low-cost fares and a suite of caller home destinations.

After delays with regulatory approval, it yet took to the skies successful 2023 but craft shortages and debased patronage saw it slash respective routes successful speedy succession.

Those setbacks, combined with its inability to unafraid entree to take-off and landing spots successful the lucrative Sydney market, rapidly sparked speculation implicit its future.

Australia's main transport national is present seeking an urgent gathering with the airlines enactment to sermon however the abrupt closure volition interaction workers.

"Bonza indispensable guarantee unit are prioritised and informed arsenic this process plays out," the nationalist caput of the transport workers union, Michael Kaine said, according to the Guardian.

Mr Kaine besides criticised the "unchecked firm greed" successful the aviation manufacture that's led to higher fares and warned that immoderate bearer attempting to interruption into the marketplace "has small accidental of survival".