First of five Bonza planes leaves the country as prospects worsen for budget airline
The first of five aircraft that once made up Bonza’s fleet has made its way overseas after the company failed to renegotiate the forced grounding.
The Boeing 737, known as Bruce, took off from Sunshine Coast Airport for Honolulu at 9am on Thursday under the flight tag of Canadian budget airline Flair, the plane’s co-owner.
According to online flight tracking data, Bruce will refuel in Hawaii, but the next port is not yet listed.
Bruce was the newest addition to the Bonza fleet. The four remaining Bonza aircraft, nicknamed Shazza, Malc, Sheila and Bazza, remain parked at Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Melbourne airports.
Bonza did not immediately respond for comment on what would happen to the rest of the fleet.
The first of five aircraft that once made up Bonza’s fleet has made its way overseas after the company failed to renegotiate the forced grounding. Bonza flight crew and an aircraft are depicted
Since the plane was co-owned between Flair and Bonza, Bruce had an unorthodox double paint job that put both airlines in the spotlight.
Lawyer James Hutton SC, acting for the administrators, told a hastily convened hearing of the Federal Court on Thursday that as of Wednesday afternoon 6,242 people had responded to an email address set up for Bonza’s creditors.
Another 1,160 responded to an email address set up for cash customers.
According to the court, a further 1,444 emails were received after 4pm on Wednesday.
Of those, 1,888 creditors had provided proof of debt, Judge Elizabeth Cheeseman was told.
Mr Hutton said a “significantly lower” number of creditors would be admitted to vote at Friday’s meeting.
The court was previously told the company had more than 60,000 creditors, including 323 employees owed wages and annual leave, 120 trade creditors and 57,933 customers with bookings.
Mr Hutton noted that in the future, creditors would still be allowed to submit debt securities to be eligible to vote at subsequent meetings.
On Tuesday, Bonza announced that all flights from May 8 to 14 would be canceled and that staff would continue to resign during that period.
In the same statement, the carrier said its lenders were looking to reposition the fleet elsewhere.
Bonza does not own the aircraft in its fleet, but rents them out.
These agreements were terminated on April 30 after the airline defaulted on its loans the month before.
A court hearing previously showed that almost 60,000 customers did not receive compensation for ticket purchases by the airline.
“The administrators confirm that they are not in a position to process or issue refunds on behalf of Bonza at this time,” Tuesday’s statement said.
On Tuesday, Bonza announced that all flights from May 8 to 14 would be canceled and that staff would continue to resign during that period. A Bonza aircraft in the photo
“Customers whose flights have been canceled should contact their financial institution to discuss available options.”
Former Virgin Blue pilot Jeremy de Lore has been tasked with transferring the aircraft between operators.
The airline’s reign has led to a flurry of activity in the Facebook group Scum of the Air, which was created in January for those seeking to resolve complaints against Bonza.
“By sharing your experiences and stories, we can collectively raise awareness and hold Bonza Airlines accountable for their actions,” reads the group’s About Us page.