PASSENGERS have been left frustrated after Bonza flights to and from the Sunshine Coast were cancelled last Saturday after birds hit the plane.
The plane had to be grounded due to an unexpected maintenance issue caused by the aircraft colliding in-flight with birds, a phenomenon known as bird strikes.
Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said they were “deeply sorry to the customers” who had their travel plans disrupted.
“We had an unexpected issue with an aircraft that required a maintenance inspection,” she said.
“Our initial hope was that would be resolved and we could get customers on their way with a delay, but it became clear that despite best efforts we wouldn’t be able to get customers to Mildura or the Sunshine Coast.
“We stepped in to organise accommodation and new flights, but we didn’t deliver on our initial commitment and we are incredibly sorry.”
Ms Povey said there had been a number of delays in their flights caused by bird strikes.
“Bird strikes are relatively common in aviation, but unfortunately they have been more pronounced than we would’ve expected.
“When they happen we seek to make sure, whilst not being ideal, the worst case scenario is a delay.
“Most of the bird strikes have been in the Queensland area and there are some locations more prone than most.
“It is typically something that warrants a maintenance inspection and the ability to move on, but there have been scenarios where it has led to longer times on the ground and that is the right decision from a safety perspective.”
Ms Povey said while bird strikes are an unavoidable part of air travel, the airline would look to find ways to increase its productivity.
“We will stay focused on the bits that we control,” she said.
“We know there are improvement areas in terms of our own on-time performance.
“We are currently waiting for additional sets of steps so we can board and disembark customers from both the front and rear doors.
“There are a lot of people working to make sure we deliver and learn and drive improvements quickly – you don’t launch a brand new aircraft without some learning.”
