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The loss of Bonza has not hampered Gold Coast Airport, with the 2024 financial year its best on record for domestic traffic.
The airport saw 5.6 million domestic travellers in 2023–24, up more than 210,000 on the previous high-water mark, as well as 706,000 international travellers. Sydney and Melbourne routes to the Gold Coast were among the five busiest in the country.
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International passengers were up around 5 per cent on the previous year, with trans-Tasman routes stronger at an 8 per cent increase.
“Cost-of-living pressures are seeing Australian travellers choose domestic holiday destinations like the Gold Coast over taking their family overseas,” said airport owner Queensland Airports Limited’s COO Marion Charlton.
“This was particularly obvious during the summer school holidays – January was our busiest month in history for domestic travel with the busiest day for the year on January 14.
“While international travel has been softer compared to pre-pandemic levels, domestic travel is making up the difference with around 5 per cent more domestic travellers this year than in FY19.”
The strong domestic result comes despite the collapse of Bonza, which had selected the Gold Coast as its third base to station two aircraft there.
The airport’s figures showed it would still have recorded its highest-ever domestic passenger figures without Bonza, and a spokesperson told Australian Aviation that the airline made up a very small percentage of its passengers for the year.
“Bonza contributed to Gold Coast Airport’s strong passenger numbers in FY24, and we are disappointed to have lost them from our network, however Bonza customers only made up around two per cent of our overall passenger mix,” the spokesperson said.
“Despite this, the airline played an important role in Australia’s aviation industry and as an airport operator, we strongly believe in the importance of increased airline competition in Australia to make air travel more accessible and affordable.”
The news stands in contrast to the nearby Sunshine Coast Airport, which is facing a massive hit to passenger numbers following Bonza’s demise.
BITRE figures released by the Department of Transport last month showed that Sunshine Coast Airport’s passenger numbers in March hit 159,000 – 65 per cent larger than the same month in pre-pandemic 2019.
The Sunshine Coast was the carrier’s major base, with the airline operating flights to Albury, Avalon, Cairns, Darwin, Launceston, Melbourne, Mackay, Mildura, Newcastle and Whitsunday Coast.
Post-Bonza, the airport’s network dramatically dwindled to include only Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Brisbane, and Auckland, though Jetstar has since announced it will move in on one of Bonza’s former routes with a service to Cairns.
