Bonza’s fleet of aircraft will be grounded until Friday at the earliest, according to the firm appointed to try to rescue the stricken airline.

But Federal Transport Minister Catherine King has forecasted a bleak future for the carrier, conceding Bonza is “unlikely” to get back off the ground.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Budget carrier Bonza enters voluntary administration.

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Staff were told to go home and travellers were left in limbo, stranded in airports across Australia after the Sunshine Coast-based operation cancelled flights and was put into voluntary administration on Tuesday.

Chartered accounting outfit Hall Chadwick said its appointment as voluntary administrator will allow “an independent insolvency practitioner to take control of the company during which creditors’ claims are put on hold”.

“At the end of that period the voluntary administrators are required to provide creditors with information and recommendations to assist creditors to decide upon the company’s future, which they ordinarily do at a meeting of creditors held at the end of the convening period,” it said in a statement.

Hall Chadwick is working with law firm Norton Rose Fulbright to see if the company can operate during the administration period.

Bonza’s fleet of Boeing 737-Max-8 planes is grounded “pending discussions with relevant parties and key stakeholders”.

Importantly, customers with tickets have been told not to make the journey to the airport.

“The grounding of the fleet is currently up to and including Thursday (May 2), and customers with bookings during this period are advised not to travel to the airport,” Hall Chadwick said.

“The discussions regarding ongoing trading are occurring over the forthcoming days and the administrators will be in a position to update all stakeholders as the matter progresses.”

The administrator said it was not in a position “to process or issue refunds” and “we understand how frustrating this is”.

Stranded passengers should contact the support number set up by the government — 1800 069 244.

A hotline — 03 8678 1600 — has been set up by administrators for customers wanting information on the administration process and business operations. It can also assist with queries.

Federal Transport Minister Catherine King admitted the chances of Bonza resuming operations were small.

“We have been speaking to the (administrators) overnight, they’re trying to get the airline back up and running, I think they have got to look at the books a fair bit. It’s unlikely that will happen,” she told ABC TV.

“Planes are certainly cancelled until May 2 at the very least and then customers will need to get on to the Bonza website or onto the administrators to find out what the next steps are.”

Stranded travellers

Concerns remained about passengers who had been stranded following the airline’s financial woes, King said.

Rival airlines Qantas, Virgin and Jetstar have offered to fly affected passengers to airports closest to their destination free of charge.

“Obviously, by going into voluntary administration, those planes are still available here in Australia,” King said.

“I think it would be Bonza’s preference they get up and flying quickly, but that is going to be absolutely a matter for the administrator.

“Our concern has been about how do we get people home, particularly at the tail-end of the school holidays.”

Bonza chief executive Tim Jordan apologised to customers and said the company’s ongoing viability was being discussed.

“We’re working as quickly as possible to determine a way forward that ensures there is ongoing competition in the Australian domestic aviation market,” he said.

Bonza was unveiled in October 2021 and its first flight took off in January 2023.

It operates Boeing 737-Max-8 planes and is backed by 777 Partners, an investment group based in Miami, Florida.

It flies to many regional destinations including Albury, Mildura, Mount Isa, Tamworth and Port Macquarie.

Bonza’s LinkedIn profile says it has between 51 to 200 employees.

– With AAP