Australian budget carrier Bonza has entered voluntary administration after suspending flights earlier on 30 April.
Bonza has appointed financial services provider Hall Chadwick to act as administrator for the company. In a joint statement with the airline, Hall Chadwick says it is working with law firm Norton Rose Fulbright to consider the continued trading of Bonza during its administration.
It says the airline’s fleet is grounded ”pending discussions with relevant parties and key stakeholders” until 2 May and is advising passengers with bookings over this period not to travel to the airport.
“The administrators are conscious of the impact of the grounding of the company’s fleet and are working alongside the existing senior management of the company and the aircraft operational team in respect to ongoing trading,” it says.
”The discussions regarding ongoing trading are occurring over the forthcoming days and the administrators will be in a position to update all stakeholders as the matter progresses.”
The grounding came amid reports that at least some of its fleet has been repossessed.
Launched in January 2023, Bonza’s business model eschewed going head to head with larger rivals on Australia’s most competitive routes. Instead, the LCC operated mainly on secondary routes unserved by other carriers.
