It comes after the route was announced on 27 February – a day after the carrier said it would axe flights between Townsville and Rockhampton.

The airline has repeatedly suggested it would be quick to adjust its ‘point-to-point’ network, arguing that demand for an unusual service can rarely be gauged in advance.

On Good Friday, the 737 MAX, VH-UKH, named Malc, departed from the Queensland destination at 10:21 am as flight AB689 and landed at the Tasmanian city at 1:45 pm local time.

Launceston Airport CEO Shane O’Hare said, “We’re the fastest growing airport in the state, and today, thanks to Bonza, we become the first airport in the state to unlock the entire south-east Queensland market with non-stop services to Brisbane, Gold Coast and the Sunshine Coast.

“Since the pandemic, we’ve doubled our non-stop flight network, with links now to all Australian state capital cities plus Bonza’s holiday hot spots, opening up a national network for tourism and freight opportunities.

“The first flight is already sold out, and forward bookings are looking very strong.”

It’s the low-cost airline’s 12th route from its home base at Sunshine Coast Airport and second from Launceston Airport.

Speaking to the Australian Aviation Podcast earlier this year, Bonza CEO Tim Jordan flagged that the airline would continue to update its network to respond to changing demands.

“Just like when you go down to your favourite restaurant or takeaway, there’s things that get moved off the menu,” he said.

“We’re going to be no different in the fact that if something’s not working for us, we’re going to be taking it off the menu, and we will juggle the aircraft capacity to where it’s needed, and that’s just a rational business going about its business.”

Bonza is Australia’s first airline to fly so-called ‘point-to-point’ leisure services not serviced by the capital city-focused Qantas, Jetstar, Virgin, and Rex.

It specialises in flying from smaller destinations to smaller destinations, eliminating the need to stop in a larger city.

The start of flights between the Sunshine Coast and Launceston came days after Bonza significantly launched a new booking website to complement its Fly Bonza app.

The flybonza.com website can be used to book flights and also includes the airline’s Bonza Holidays and group booking options, travel agent portal, and digital chat function.

Bonza had initially adopted an “app-first” booking strategy where all tickets were sold either through its app or through registered travel agents.