On the same day that Qantas announced its massive half-year profit, Australia's newest domestic airline Bonza launched its second operating base. The low-fare carrier now has two bases, the initial one in Queensland at Sunshine Coast Airport and the new one in Melbourne.

As part of its commitment to bringing travel to 'the many and not the few,' Bonza will base two Boeing 737 MAX 8s at Melbourne Airport, along with the crews that will operate them. Melbourne is the first capital city that Bonza has opened, and yesterday it declared that nine destinations from Melbourne are now available for booking on the FlyBonza App.

Airport and Airline can grow together

Bonza's chief commercial officer, Carly Povey, and Melbourne International Airport's (MEL) chief of aviation, Jim Parashos, launched the base yesterday. Parashos pointed out that Melbourne was the only capital city destination on Bonza's launch network, and he told Simple Flying why having a base there will help both the airport and the airline grow together.

"Having a base here provides the frequency of services, and as some of these services become stellar performers it allows us to add more frequency. Also, as more aircraft come in, it sets the foundation where we've got all the infrastructure set up and ready to go. So setting up a base can be quite complex, but once it is all setup, the incremental growth becomes quite easy."

With an eye on capturing that growth, Parashos pointed out that seven of the nine destinations from Melbourne are not served by any other airline, which he described as a great opportunity for Victorians to go out and explore somewhere different or connect with families while flying nonstop for the first time. He said the same opportunity exists for people from other regions and states to come to Melbourne for major events, like AFL football, or to just explore a bit of the city.

Yesterday Bonza also announced three other new routes now on the app, with flights from Australia's country music capital of Tamworth (TMW) to the Sunshine Coast and from Toowoomba Wellcamp (WTB) to Townsville (TSV) and Whitsunday Coast (PPP).

Bonza's Carly Povey revealed to Simple Flying that the most popular Melbourne route booked so far was from Toowoomba, which is around a two-hour drive from Brisbane. Bonza's direct flight time from Toowoomba to Melbourne is also around two hours, and with flights starting at just AU$79 ($54), the prospect of watching major sports or other events in Melbourne seems very attractive.

All routes are now on the FlyBonza App

From yesterday, all of Bonza's initial routes are on sale, opening up low-fare travel on 27 routes to 17 destinations, with prices ranging from AU$49 to AU$89 ($33.40-$60.70) oneway. As well as opening the route between the Sunshine Coast and Melbourne Avalon on Tuesday, Bonza also launched services from the Sunshine Coast to Townsville on Wednesday and to Rockhampton today.

Bonza will launch another nine routes from the Sunshine Coast between March and April, as well as starting flights from Melbourne. Povey said the airline is delivering on its promise to make air travel accessible and "that millions more Aussies have the chance to book a low-cost flight to see a loved one or explore their own backyard."

By then, it will have five Boeing 737 MAX 8s and is now quickly morphing into a fully operational domestic airline, no longer a startup or a pipe dream. For Povey, that brings a subtle shift, adding:

"After that, we focus on earning the right to grow. Our intention is to have up to eight aircraft in our first year of operation, which will enable us to connect many more communities where travel right now often means impossibly long road trips or flights connecting through major city airports."

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While the base is at Melbourne Airport, Bonza is also operating at Melbourne's Avalon Airport (AVV), which received its first flight on Tuesday, when Bonza AB569 arrived from the Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY). A quick look at the app shows that the Sunshine Coast is served from both airports, with flights to/from Avalon on Tuesday and Saturday, although a third flight on Thursday will be added in mid-March. The first flight from Melbourne Airport is to the Sunshine Coast on March 30th.

What do you think of Bonza's launch, and will you give it a go? Let us know in the comments.