"Market disrupter" Bonza airlines has started flying from Newcastle to the Sunshine Coast and Whitsundays, and company founder Tim Jordan says services to other destinations could be on the way.
Mr Jordan and about 150 other passengers, including a delegation from the Sunshine Coast business chamber, arrived on the first Bonza flight into NSW on Tuesday afternoon to a welcome from Newcastle Airport chief executive Peter Cock and a buffet of Hunter wine, beer and food.
The return service to Maroochydore's Sunshine Coast Airport took off at 5pm.
The service operates four times a week to serve Noosa and other holiday destinations on the Sunshine Coast.
Bonza will start a twice-weekly service from Newcastle to Whitsunday Coast Airport at Proserpine on Thursday morning.
The budget airline announced in February last year that the two Queensland routes would be among its array of new services between regional towns and cities.
The airline is selling tickets to Sunshine Coast for $69 one-way and the Whitsundays for $79 primarily through its online app.
Bonza's flights do not appear on schedules for online travel agencies such as Webjet and Skyscanner.
Mr Jordan said after touching down at Williamtown that the company had sold "thousands" of tickets to and from Newcastle and expected this to grow as more people found out about the services.
"It's really very encouraging," he said.
"The routes are booking really well at the moment."
Dr Cock described Bonza as a "market disrupter" due to its fare structure, which the company has said is loosely based on $50 for every hour in the air.
"These are not sales fares or introductory fares. These are our regular fares," Mr Jordan said.
"We can't say a price and then not deliver on that price. If we do not stimulate the market, we are not here. We must offer low fares, and that's what we're here to do. We're about market growth."
The Newcastle Herald understands Launceston could be next on Bonza's list of potential destinations from Williamtown, but Mr Jordan would not divulge which routes the company was investigating.
"We believe this is a first step for Bonza in Newcastle," he said.
"We are working with Newcastle Airport collaboratively to work out what that next step looks like, but we certainly believe there is pent-up demand.
"We also see these flights as being very significant for pulling traffic from the Central Coast into Newcastle Airport.
"That will allow us to fill the flights in both directions, as we need to to make it what in time should be a profitable operation for us."
Sunshine Coast retiree June Doyle, who lives in the hinterland village of Maleny, caught the first Newcastle flight to visit her "beautiful" sister, Sue Baker, and nephew Robert, who live near Maitland.
"For me, going from Melany, I had to go to Brisbane, whereas now it's Maroochydore," she said.
"To get there it's a lot quicker and less traffic. It's cheaper than any of the other flights."
Ms Doyle fits the "VFR" visiting friends and relatives model of customer the airport and airline hope to attract to the new regional routes.
"I came down last year for three months. I love the area. We went to the Hunter Valley wineries, the beach. It's a great area."
Caloundra businesswoman Donna Niazov has visited the Hunter several times but said she would travel to the region more often now Bonza had started the route.
"I've been excited for this particular trip to come to Newcastle," she said.
"I love Newcastle and the Hunter Valley. I'll definitely come more often now there's a direct flight from the Coast and I don't have to travel via Brisbane or Sydney."
