The first of five planes once part of Bonza’s fleet has arrived abroad after the company failed to renegotiate its forced grounding.
The Boeing 737, known as Bruce, left Sunshine Coast Airport for Honolulu at 9am on Thursday under the flight label of Canadian low-cost airline Flair, which co-owns the plane.
According to online flight tracking data, Bruce is set to refuel in Hawaii, but its next port is not yet listed.
Bruce was the latest addition to Bonza’s 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 to comment on what would happen to the rest of the fleet.
The first of five planes once part of Bonza’s fleet has arrived abroad after the company failed to renegotiate its forced grounding. Pictured is the Bonza flight crew and an aircraft.
As a co-owned aircraft split between Flair and Bonza, Bruce sported an unorthodox dual paint job that highlighted both carriers.
Barrister James Hutton SC, representing the administrators, told a hastily convened Federal Court session on Thursday that as of Wednesday afternoon, 6,242 people had responded to an email address created for Bonza creditors.
Another 1,160 responded to an email address set up for pocket customers.
A further 1,444 emails were received after 4pm on Wednesday, the court was told.
Of those, 1,888 creditors had provided evidence of their debt, Judge Elizabeth Cheeseman was told.
Hutton said a “significantly smaller” number of creditors would be admitted to Friday’s meeting to vote.
The court had previously been told the company had more than 60,000 creditors, including 323 employees who were owed salaries and annual leave, 120 trade creditors and 57,933 customers with reservations.
Hutton noted that creditors would still be allowed to present evidence of debt in the future in order to vote at later meetings.
On Tuesday, Bonza announced that all flights from May 8 to 14 would be canceled and that staff would remain absent during that period.
In the same statement, the airline said its lenders were looking to reposition the fleet elsewhere.
Bonza does not own any of the aircraft in its fleet, but rather rents them.
These agreements were terminated on April 30 after the airline defaulted on its loans the previous month.
A court hearing previously revealed that almost 60,000 customers had been left without compensation for the airline’s purchase of tickets.
“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 remain absent during that period. A Bonza aircraft pictured.
“Customers who have had their flights canceled should contact their financial institution to discuss available options.”
Former Virgin Blue pilot Jeremy de Lore has been tasked with transitioning the aircraft between operators.
The airline’s entry into administration has fueled a surge of activity on the Scum of the Air Facebook group, created in January for those seeking to resolve complaints against Bonza.
“By sharing their experiences and stories, we can collectively raise awareness and hold Bonza Airlines accountable for their actions,” the group’s About page reads.
