Canada's Flair Airlines grows fleet ahead of strong summer

Australia's Bonza inducts first wet-leased MAX 8

Australia's Bonza told not to bother asking for Sydney slots

The chief executive of Bonza (AB, Sunshine Coast) has said the carrier could open a base at Sydney Kingsford Smith and start flights from Australia's biggest city if only he could secure the appropriate slots at the airport.

Speaking in Canberra at an Australian government Select Senate Committee hearing on bilateral air service agreements on September 27, Tim Jordan said he would like to base four aircraft in Sydney and fly from there to eight regional destinations. He would need to secure four morning-peak and four afternoon slot pairs but claimed he was told not to bother applying.

"Our initial experience from our Melbourne Tullamarine aircraft base is a strong indication of what could be achieved in Sydney," he said. "In Melbourne, we started service on nine routes, with seven of those routes not operated by any other airline. This can certainly be repeated in Sydney. The required slots would represent less than 10% of the available seasonal slots that are either cancelled on a daily basis or allocated and then unused by incumbents,...

Canada's WestJet scores C$3mn from Alberta skills grant

WestJet (WS, Calgary) will receive the lion's share of CAD3 million Canadian dollars (USD2.2 million) in support from the Alberta government as part of the province's CAD9.6 million (USD7 million) investment in the aviation industry.

Alberta is investing CAD5 million (USD3.6 million) in an Aviation Skills Grant programme in 2024-25 for the province's growing aviation industry and CAD4.6 million (USD3.3 million) to support community airports through a Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Programme. Under the skills development scheme, 14 aviation companies will be granted up to CAD30,000 (USD22,000) per trainee to help offset training costs for new or vacant posts. The skills initiative aims to strengthen the province's aerospace sector, where more than half of required training is for pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers, which are key in-demand occupations for Alberta's aviation industry. The grant is part of "Alberta at Work", a multi-year provincial skills development investment of more than CAD700 million (USD515 million).

As the biggest recipient, WestJet will use its share of CAD3 million to train an estimated 1,151 employees to fill positions for pilots,...

Australia's Bonza, Canada's Flair in reciprocal ACMI deal

Bonza (AB, Sunshine Coast) will wet-lease two B737-8s from fellow 777 Partners-backed carrier Flair Airlines (F8, Kelowna) to kickstart flights from its Gold Coast Coolangatta base. The "strategic partnership" will see the Canadian operator send aircraft to Australia during the Northern Hemisphere's slower winter season, while in the future, the Australian start-up will return the favour during its down season.

"At a time where aircraft demand is high and supply chain challenges reign, Bonza is benefiting from a strategic partnership with Flair Airlines in Canada," said Bonza CEO Tim Jordan. "The Canadian ultra-low-cost carrier reached out to support the commencement of operations at Bonza’s Gold Coast base pre Christmas - a partnership that recognises the differing seasonal peaks between the two airlines. This is a reciprocal partnership that both airlines intend to leverage for many years to come."

Bonza presently flies four B737-8s, all sourced from owner 777 Partners. However, the US investment fund has reneged on promises to deliver additional aircraft, determining that they have higher priorities elsewhere. Consequently,...