'A lovely flight': first Bonza passengers arrive in Port Macquarie from the Sunshine Coast

The Bonza plane, named Sheila, arrived at Port Macquarie Airport on Wednesday, April 12, kicking off direct flights between the Sunshine Coast and Port Macquarie.

Passengers bound for the Sunshine Coast flew out afterwards.

The new service runs twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Maureen Morrison, her son Clint and granddaughter Jasmin were among the passengers on the Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie flight.

"It was a lovely flight and it got here quickly," Maureen said.

The Morrisons swapped a seven-hour drive from Gympie for the non-stop flight to visit family.

Maureen said Bonza's entry into the market was absolutely wonderful.

"It will give a lot of help to a lot of people," she said.

Business traveller Wayne Knapp snapped up a seat on the inaugural Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie flight.

Before the Bonza flights started, he would drive from the Sunshine Coast to Brisbane and fly from there.

Mr Knapp said the Bonza staff members were friendly and the flight was the same as any other but more affordable.

Port Macquarie's Carmel Thomson was a passenger on the first Bonza flight from Port Macquarie to the Sunshine Coast.

She travelled to visit a friend. Mrs Thomson said it was amazing to be able to take a direct flight to the Sunshine Coast.

"It is just so freeing and affordable," she said.

John and Allison Adamson travelled from Forster-Tuncurry to catch the first Bonza flight from Port Macquarie to the Sunshine Coast.

The couple is also booked, after their return, on another Bonza flight from Newcastle to The Whitsundays.

"It is just wonderful to be able to access regional airlines, because we are sometimes forgotten," Mrs Adamson said.

The Port Macquarie-Sunshine Coast route is the 16th to launch as Bonza progresses towards having all 27 routes up and running by May 23.

The flights to the Sunshine Coast represent step number one for Bonza from Port Macquarie Airport.

The next step comes on May 4 when the airline launches twice weekly direct flights to Port Macquarie from its second base at Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine).

Bonza CEO Tim Jordan said Bonza was about everybody.

"We are about visiting friends and relatives, we are about exploring this wonderful big backyard that we missed, to be quite honest, for three years, and we are about making it more accessible to the many, not the few," he said.

Mr Jordan said opening up Port Macquarie flights was very significant for Bonza but also for the wider community.

Mayor Peta Pinson said Bonza's commitment showed confidence in the region.

She said Bonza's entry into the market was really exciting for the tourism and hospitality industry and gave connectivity to friends and family, as well as more opportunities for residents to travel.

Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association president Janette Hyde welcomed the Bonza flights.

"I think we will get a lot of people visit that would probably not have been to Port Macquarie before but Port Macquarie people will travel as well," she said.

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