Bonza begins bringing bucketloads of passengers with first Launnie flight

The Tuesday, November 21 arrival of "Bazza" - the carrier's affectionately-named Boeing 737 MAX aircraft - marked the first time in more than a decade a new airline touched down in Launceston.

It was also a first for three-and-a-half month old Ryder Fountain, whose trip on the inaugural Bonza flight between Launceston and the Gold Coast was the first time he had been on a plane.

His mother Jessica said she and Ryder's grandmother Katie had travelled from northern New South Wales to meet extended family living in Launceston and she was looking forward to taking some time to "chill with her baby".

Connecting families and friends - like the Fountain family - was what Bonza founder and chief executive officer Tim Jordan said made the new route so important.

"Today is very important for us because we join effectively a million people together," Mr Jordan said.

"A quarter of a million people in Northern Tasmania will have access to the Gold Coast, and we have three quarters of a million people on the Gold Coast and northern New South Wales who now have direct access to Northern Tasmania.

"That's a million people of opportunity. A million people who can connect with friends and family more easily than what they could yesterday."

Mr Jordan said this marked a "coming of age" for the airline, as Launceston was the 18^th destination on its books.

Premier and tourism minister Jeremy Rockliff said he "couldn't be prouder" to welcome the low-cost carrier to Tasmania.

"It is fantastic to have Bonza here, right in the heart of Launnie," Mr Rockliff said.

"I couldn't be prouder to welcome the first new carrier to Launceston Airport in well over a decade."

He was joined on the tarmac to welcome passengers by Launceston Airport chief executive officer Shane O'Hare and Tourism Tasmania chief executive officer Sarah Clark.

Mr O'Hare said the new tri-weekly service between Launceston and the Gold Coast was yet another example of history being made at Launceston Airport, which he noted was the first airport in Tasmania.

Ms Clark said the tourism opportunities could not be understated, as Queenslanders flocked south to Tasmania.

"Queensland is such an important tourism destination for Tasmania," she said.

"It's actually our third biggest destination for people coming to visit Tasmania and it's also our fastest-growing as well.

"Queenslanders love coming to Tassie - even in the winter."