Bamboo Airways disappears from Australian skies

The dangers of booking with low-cost start-up airlines.   

Bamboo Airways, which debuted in 2022, has abruptly quit the Australian market - and cancelled all its long-haul flights.

The Vietnam-based airway has sacked all its Australian staff and announced a move into “long-term restructuring”.

Bamboo offered direct flights from Sydney and Melbourne to Ho Chi Minh City, along with Melbourne to Hanoi.

"It is with a heavy heart that I advise all Bamboo Airways Australia staff have been made redundant including my national sales manager role,” the former national sales manager Australia and New Zealand, Brad Crawford, said on LinkedIn.

Other long-haul routes scrapped include London and Frankfurt, which were served by Boeing 787 jets the airline is phasing out.

Many Australians used Bamboo as a budget option for flying to Europe via Vietnam.

"For the route network, Bamboo Airways has improved commercial efficiency by reducing the frequency of a number of inefficient routes with low passenger demand while increasing operation on routes recording high demand," the airline said on its website.

"The carrier's fleet structure is expected to incorporate narrow-body aircraft and jets, which will be deployed on key domestic routes, strongly emphasizing trunk routes such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Da Nang. The airline will also offer services on domestic tourist routes with high demand and international routes to south-east Asia."

For those who have bookings with Bamboo, the airline says: "Affected passengers will be promptly notified and assisted in adherence to the airline's policies and applicable laws."