Will Bonza fly to Adelaide?

BONZA has not ruled out the possibility of launching a Mildura to Adelaide route.

Many Sunraysia residents have recently expressed on social media their desire for a direct and low-cost route between the two cities.

“(We) need flights from Mildura direct to Adelaide and return,” Facebook user Marg Bird said under a recent Sunraysia Daily post.

“(We) need some flights to Adelaide. Lots of Sunraysia people have family and medical appoint there,” another user, Mandy Bothroyd, said.

When asked by Sunraysia Daily if a route to Adelaide was a possibility, Bonza chief commercial officer Carly Povey said it wasn’t off the table.

“We’re always in discussion with regional and city airports around Australia as we continue to fulfil our mission of connecting communities,” she said.

“Our focus is on unserved and under-served markets.”

Mildura lost its only Mildura to Adelaide flight in May when Rex Airlines cut the route indefinitely.

Rex blamed parts and labour shortages for the decision.

Since then charity Angel Flight Australia has stepped in to partly fill the service gap, providing free non-emergency flights for Mildura residents who have frequent medical appointments in Adelaide.

But to be eligible, patients need their registered health professional to send a referral to Angel Flight.

Ms Povey said the airline had seen strong demand into and out of Mildura on its two current routes, Melbourne and the Sunshine Coast.

Thanks to community support, Mildura was this week announced as one of the locations to offer a new Gold Coast route, which will be launched on December 6.