Bonza has been cleared for take-off almost a year after its initial start date. The low-fare Australian airline has received an Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) from the country’s Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) after successfully completing proving flights.
The low-fare carrier first submitted its application for regulatory approval last year. It has since been working with CASA to achieve the AOC required to fly scheduled passenger-carrying flights in Australia.
Tim Jordan, Chief Executive, Bonza, called the airline’s certification “a historic moment for Australian aviation”.
By this, Jordan refers to the airline’s promise in early 2022 that passengers should expect to pay $50 for each hour in the air.
“Demand for domestic travel is high, and Aussies deserve for travel to be a basic right for many, not a luxury for the few. This has never been truer with today’s cost of living challenges.
“The excitement for what we are about to deliver is palpable, and the timing couldn’t be better,” said the Chief Executive.
According to Pip Spence, Director of Aviation Safety and Chief Executive Officer of CASA, this past year has seen Bonza go through a rigorous assessment and validation process to ensure it could meet Australia’s “high safety standards”.
“All commercial operators in Australia have to go through this process, which considers how the operator will meet the required safety standards,” she said.
The assessment includes a thorough examination of technical documentation as well as verification and testing. It also examines whether the airline has the facilities, processes and trained personnel to comply with its operations manual.
By conducting assessments of the carrier’s proposed operations, facilities, aircraft and aerodromes to which it operates, CASA ensures the airline meets its safety regulations.
“Australia has one of the safest aviation industries in the world,” said Spence, “travellers should be assured when they get on a Bonza aircraft that the operator has been assessed in detail to ensure it complies with the same safety requirements as other Australian airlines.”
