Avalon seals Sunshine Coast deal in travel Bon-zanza

AVALON Airport will soon open direct flights to Queensland’s Sunshine Coast following a major agreement announced this week.

Freshly launched Australian budget airline Bonza has struck a deal with Geelong’s airport for three direct weekly services to Sunshine Coast Airport, north of Brisbane, strengthening a travel link between two of Australia’s most popular tourism regions.

Avalon Airport chief executive officer Justin Giddings said he was thrilled to begin the partnership, which he said would make travel easier and more affordable for local travellers.

“The Sunshine Coast is such a popular travel destination and we have had many requests from the public to fly directly to the region for some time,” he said.

“We know that Victorians will love hearing this news and it’s fantastic that we can now offer this service via Bonza with competitive low airfares.

“Victorians are eager to travel again, and we are here to make that experience as easy as possible.”

Avalon Airport presently has one Queensland route: Jetstar has two daily flights out of Avalon to Maroochydore at Gold Coast, and one return flight.

Bonza launched in October 2021 and promised new air routes to open travel opportunities for Australians that live outside of major cities.

It announced 25 routes servicing 16 destinations across Australia’s eastern seaboard this week.

“With two new routes directly in and out of Avalon Airport, we will be delivering on our promise to give Aussies more options for leisure travel,” Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said.

“Not only will the flights open up new markets for the region’s tourism industry, locals will have the opportunity to explore their own backyard with ultra-low fares.”

Bonza said flights were due to go on sale within eight weeks, pending regulatory approvals.