It looks like it could be the end of the road for embattled airline Bonza with all flights across the country cancelled this morning.
The budget airline says it is working quickly to try and “assess a way forward”.
Flights to and from Bonza’s Sunshine Coast base as well as from Melbourne to Rockhampton, Gladstone and Tamworth were all axed today.
Bonza also operates flights to the Gold Coast, Mackay and the Whitsundays, Townsville, Toowoomba, Bundaberg, Darwin, Alice Springs, Newcastle, Port Macquarie, Mildura, Albury and Launceston.
In a statement Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said services due to be operated today have been “temporarily suspended”.
Mr Jordan said “discussions are currently underway regarding the ongoing viability of the business.”
“We apologise to our customers who are impacted by this and we’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market,” Mr Jordan said.
Last week Bonza rejected reports it had called in advisory and investment firm Korda Mentha for financial advice as untrue.
At the time Mr Jordan said neither Bonza nor its investor, Triple-7 Partners, have appointed Korda Mentha as financial advisors or in any other capacity.
He said suggesting otherwise, implies a well-known restructuring firm is somehow engaged by or entrenched in Bonza, which is incorrect.
He said it could have significant commercial and reputational impacts.
Reports are emerging of Bonza staff being called into meetings this morning and told the business was finished.
There was turmoil for passengers arriving to catch flights at airports around the country this morning.
This Gold Coast woman in tears as she told Nine News of the impact on her travel plans.
“A crew came in and said its been cancelled. I’ve actually had my father pass away last night so I needed to get up there so I needed to get up there.”
Meanwhile, Virgin Australia has taken to social media to help stranded Bonza passengers.
Virgin said it will immediately support any passengers stranded mid-journey by offering complimentary seats on its flights to the airport nearest to their final planned Bonza destination.
