Establishment
The creation of Flybondi, Argentina's first ultra-low-cost airline (ULCC), was announced in September 2016 by a group of Argentine businessmen, supported by funds from big names in the aviation industry, such as Michael Cawley, member of the board of Ryanair, Montie Brewer, former CEO of Air Canada and Robert Wright, founder of British Airways Citiflyer Express and shareholder and former non-executive director at Wizz Air, as well as Argentine Gastón Parisier and Swiss Julian Cook, founder and former CEO of Switzerland's FlyBaboo. Together, the investors would have contributed US$ 75 million with the aim of starting operations in 2017.[7][8][9][10]
Bondi is the informal name given in to urban public transport buses in Argentina. As an ultra-low-cost airline, the company's intention was to make it as popular and accessible as a bus. Therefore, Flybondi literally means flying bus. The initial idea was to call it Air Bondi, but on the recommendation of an advertising agency, due to the risk of conflict with the name of the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, it was decided to use the prefix fly instead of air.[11]
In October 2016, the airline revealed its initial plans, intending to fly to Comodoro Rivadavia, Córdoba, El Calafate, Mendoza, Neuquén, Resistencia, Puerto Iguazú, Río Gallegos, Salta, San Carlos de Bariloche, Tucumán and Ushuaia with a fleet of six aircraft. And although it was considering both Airbus and Boeing narrow-body models, according to co-founder Julian Cook, Flybondi's preference would be the Boeing 737-800.[12]
On December 5, 2016, during the first public hearing held in 11 years by the Argentine Ministry of Economy for airlines to request new routes, Flybondi defined as its main base of operations El Palomar Airport, located 18 kilometers from Buenos Aires, requesting to fly to and from the aerodrome that, until then, served as an air base for the Argentine Air Force.[13][14][15]
On March 16, 2017, Flybondi co-founder and CEO Julian Cook officially announced the choice of the Boeing 737 for the new Argentine airline's fleet, announcing that they would be configured with 189 seats in a single-class layout.[16] And in May of the same year, he announced the signing of the lease agreement with SMBC Aviation Capital for his first aircraft, with plans to lease nine more later that year.[17]
Flybondi's first aircraft, the Boeing 737-800 registration LV-HKS (MSN 33821) named Nelson, was officially delivered on December 2.[18][19][20]
