Bonza airlines: Crew members injured and taken to hospital after severe turbulence hits plane from Australia's new cheap airline

Crew members on board a flight flying across the state of Queensland in Australia were taken to hospital due to severe turbulence. The incident occurred on Tuesday (21 November) when the plane operated by Australian low-cost airline Bonza was flying between Rockhampton and the Sunshine Coast.

The extent of the injuries and the exact number of people hurt has not been confirmed. However, Tim Jordan, chief executive of Bonza, confirmed that no customers were hurt. The aircraft safely landed at its destination without further incident.

He told The New Daily: “A flight from Rockhampton to the Sunshine Coast experienced unexpected and severe turbulence leading some Bonza crew members needing to be assessed at Sunshine Coast University Hospital.” He added that the priority “is always the safety of our staff and customers” and staff have since been able to return home.

The severe turbulence mid-air caused the cancellation of a flight from the Sunshine Coast to Mildura, in Victoria, while the aircraft was assessed. The airline, Bonza, only started operations in January 2023. According to Planespotters.net it has five aircraft in its fleet and serves domestic and regional routes across Australia.

Within seven months, Bonza had to slash a number of routes due to a lack of demand. The airline no longer services Sunshine Coast to Coffs Harbour, Sunshine Coast to Port Macquarie, Sunshine Coast to Tamworth, Cairns to Mackay and Toowoomba to the Whitsunday Coast.

The airline has apologised for the inconvenience caused and issued full refunds to impacted passengers. In an updated statement on Wednesday (23 November) Mr Jordan said: “Whilst turbulence is something that any airline can experience, and we followed procedures onboard, we will be undergoing a review and taking any learnings onboard. Our thoughts are with the customers and crew who are no doubt impacted by the events of yesterday. The aircraft has been thoroughly inspected as is back in operation this morning.”