Bonza Bound 737 MAX 8

A Boeing 737 MAX 8 destined for the Australian airline Bonza was spotted by a security guard at the Seattle airport. The plane has Bonza livery on the rudder, but LOTS of Polish livery on the rest of the tail. Bonza expects its first MAX in July and wants to start flying in September. So far, not a single plane has arrived in Australia. This plane was shot in Seattle in mid-June.

Bonza MAX 8 passes through Seattle in mid-June

Message on Australian Frequent Flyer Forum brought us to Annie Flodin, a Boeing historian and avid airplane reviewer. Mrs. Flodin took the picture MAXIM 8 passing through Seattle and uploaded them to her social media. Ms Flodin kindly gave Simple Flying permission to use the images.

Bonza has been tight-lipped about a firm date for the arrival of its first aircraft (it expects three in a row fairly soon and plans to build up to eight MAXs within the first year of flight), only telling Simple Flying that its first jet should land sometime this month. But now we know which plane, if not the first, then at least one of the first to fly to Bonza.

The MAX 8 in question was registered as SP-LVE. It was a Boeing 737 MAX 8 built in Renton in 2019 and designed for LOT Polish Airlines but never accepted. The Warsaw-based airline is one of many airlines that have reduced their MAX orders due to the suspension of MAX and later reduced demand due to the pandemic. Since then, SP-LVE has spent most of its life in a parking lot Victorville, California.

Second life for unwanted LOT Polish MAX 8

These days, pending Australian VH registration, the aircraft is on a temporary ‘test registration’ – N5515X. While checking the MAX 8’s flight history, it periodically took to the air to shake off the cobwebs while parked. This year, the pace of flights has increased. When Annie Flodin hijacked the plane, N5515X was flying from Victorville (VCV) to Boeing Field/King County Airport (BFI) in Seattle. The plane is now headed to San Antonio Kelly Field (SKF). Simple Flying asked Bonza what the plane was doing in San Antonio, if the trip south was just a test flight. However, we did not receive an answer to this question.

Except for the tail and wings, the jet is painted in a solid gray color. These photos were taken a couple of weeks ago, so there may have been changes since then. LOT MAX 8s can accommodate 186 passengers in three cabin classes – business, premium economy and economy. According to the standard intra-European short-haul operating model, the number of seats in the different cabin classes is practically unchanged. Bonza didn’t talk much about the interior of the cabin. But they are an ultra-low-cost carrier that competes on price, so you can bet they’ll be looking to cram in as many passengers as possible.

With the MAX 8 capable of carrying 210 passengers in its tightest configuration, a 186-passenger cabin may be out of place for the Bonza, which means an interior redesign. We also asked Bonza about it. They cryptically said the “finishing touches” to the plane’s interior would be done when they landed in Australia.