Australian low-cost-carrier Bonza Airlines (AB/BNZ) announced it was suspending operations on April 29, 2024. The airline operates a fleet of 6 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft which are under the Australian and Canadian registries. Let’s take a look at where these aircraft are positioned at the time of the suspension of operations.
The Bonza fleet
| Aircraft type | Registration | Age |
|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | C-FLHI | 4 years |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | C-FLKC | 4 years |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-UIK | 5 years |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-UJK | 4 years |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-UJT | 4 years |
| Boeing 737 MAX 8 | VH-UKH | 4 years |
VH-UIK – Boeing 737 MAX 8
One of 6 aircraft in the Bonza fleet, VH-UIK most recently operated flight AB1038, a 45-minute flight from Mildura (MQL) to Melbourne (MEL) on April 29, landing in Melbourne at 20:48. The aircraft had been scheduled on flight AB1009 to Gladstone (GLT) on April 30, 2024.
VH-UKH – Boeing 737 MAX 8
A Boeing 737 MAX 8 built in October 2019, VH-UKH last operated flight AB1023 from Melbourne (MEL) to Sunshine Coast (MCY), a flight lasting 2 hours and 3 minutes, arriving in Sunshine Coast at 01:18. The aircraft had been scheduled to operate the return flights AB623 and AB1052 to Rockhampton (ROK) on April 30.
VH-UJT – Boeing 737 MAX 8
VH-UJT, a Boeing 737 MAX 8 built in September 2019 as MSN 62533 most recently operated flight AB566 from Albury (ABX) to Sunshine Coast (MCY), a flight lasting 1 hour and 43 minutes, arriving in Sunshine Coast at 22:15. The aircraft had been scheduled to operate flight AB607 to Newcastle (NTL) on April 30.
VH-UJK – Boeing 737 MAX 8
Built in May 2019, VH-UJK is a Boeing 737 MAX 8 based at Gold Coast Airport (OOL). The aircraft operated flight AB1606 from Cairns (CNS) to Gold Coast on April 29. This flight lasted 1 hour and 52 minutes and landed at 21:55. The aircraft had been scheduled to operate flight AB1755 to Launceston (LST) on April 30.
C-FLKC – Boeing 737 MAX 8
C-FLKC is one of two Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft leased by Bonza to Canadian carrier Flair Airlines (F8/FLE), and is registered on the Canadian aircraft registry. This aircraft operated flight F81513 from Las Vegas (LAS) to Calgary (YYC) on April 29. There are currently no other flights scheduled for this aircraft, and it is unclear what the future of this Bonza-operated aircraft located in Canada will be.
C-FLHI – Boeing 737 MAX 8
Built in February 2020 as MSN 61804, this Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the second aircraft leased to Canada’s Flair Airlines and still wears the Bonza/Flair hybrid livery. Unlike C-FLKC, this aircraft has not operated a flight for Flair since December 12, 2023, when it operated flight F8500 from Abbotsford (YXX) to Calgary (YYC). The aircraft then relocated to Gold Coast (OOL), arriving on December 15 2023, and resumed operations for Bonza with flight AB1521 to Townsville (TSV) on December 22. This aircraft has not operated a commercial flight since March 30 2024 and has been parked at Sunshine Coast (MCY) since that date). The aircraft appears to have performed a short flight, FLE905P on April 29, a short flight departing from and returning to MCY. The ‘P’ suffix in this callsign indicates a positioning flight. It is unclear whether this was intended to position the aircraft elsewhere or was for the purpose of testing/continued airworthiness.
