New Australian airline Bonza is aiming for September flights after delays in the company's aircraft arriving in Australia.
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The budget airline announced earlier this year it would fly four times a week from Newcastle Airport to the Sunshine Coast and twice to the Whitsundays, with hopes of having the new flights in the air by midway through this year.
But in an update to travellers this week, the company said the confirmation of when its first planes would land on Aussie shores was "slightly later than first expected".
Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey told the Newcastle Herald two planes would arrive in July and a third in August.
The planes will provide limited services to start with, including the Newcastle flights, before two more aircraft arrive to connect more routes.
The airline has first announced 27 initial routes across 17 destinations - Albury, Avalon, Bundaberg, Cairns, Coffs Harbour, Gladstone, Mackay, Melbourne, Mildura, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Rockhampton, Sunshine Coast, Tamworth, Toowoomba, Townsville and Whitsunday Coast.
"We wanted to let people know we won't be flying in July and August," Ms Povey said.
"When we announced Newcastle flights among broader plans we did hope for a mid-year start.
"There is a lot that goes into it. This is the first time an airline has launched in Australia in 15 years."
The carrier is aiming to service regional areas, rather than compete with the major airlines in the cities.
The Herald announced in February that Bonza was attempting to offer non-stop flights from Newcastle to Tasmania and Western Australia, but no timeline was put on the plans.
The flight schedule for the initial routes is yet to be confirmed, but Ms Povey said the focus will be on long weekend travel and leisure trips so the times and days will be based around that.
The low-cost airline said customers can expect to pay about $50 for every hour they're in the air.
It is understood tickets will cost about $49 each way from Newcastle to the Sunshine Coast and $75 to $100 each way to the Whitsundays.
We wanted to let people know we won't be flying in July and August.
- Carly Povey
The company said it was currently working through recruitment, progressing through the regulatory process and finalising onboard details.
Newcastle Airport has received roughly 3,500 Bonza enquires through our owned digital channels as well as a handful of phone calls each week.
Bonza will adopt a model similar to Uber where all bookings, payments, management of booking and customer communications are directed to travellers through the Bonza app.
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