Australian low-fare airline, Bonza, has launched a new route between Melbourne and Port Macquarie. 

The service will operate twice weekly, on Mondays and Thursdays, which will allow travellers to spend long weekends in either destination. The route is the second to launch from Bonza’s second base at Melbourne Airport, with Tamworth introduced a few days prior on Tuesday.

Port Macquarie Hastings Council CEO Dr Clare Allen said the arrival of Bonza from Melbourne would ignite great interest among locals.

“Bonza’s arrival today from Melbourne Airport is a game changer for our region, providing for the first time in history a direct link between the Port Macquarie Hastings and Victoria,” she said.

“With direct flights already servicing Sydney and Brisbane, it is wonderful to see Melbourne – now Australia’s largest city – added to this list of destinations, and I look forward to seeing the opportunities that this will create for our local tourism and business economies.”

Bonza will wrap up the introduction of its initial 27 routes to 17 destinations on 23 May after launching services between Tamworth and Sunshine Coast (6 May), Melbourne and Mildura (8 May), Bundaberg (10 May), Gladstone (11 May) and Mackay (23 May).