Regional Express Airlines

Last updated

Regional Express
Regional Express Airlines logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
ZLRXAREX
Founded2002
Operating bases Adelaide Airport
Brisbane Airport
Cairns Airport
Melbourne Airport
Perth Airport
Sydney Airport
Townsville Airport
Fleet size58
Destinations60
Parent company Regional Express Holdings
Headquarters Mascot, New South Wales, Australia
Key people
  • Lim Kim Hai (Executive Chairman)
  • Neville Howell (CEO)
Website www.rex.com.au

Regional Express (also known as REX) is an Australian airline based in Mascot, New South Wales. It operates scheduled regional services. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia.

Contents

History

The airline was established in 2002 when the Australiawide Airlines consortium (set up by former Ansett Australia employees) acquired Hazelton Airlines and Kendell Airlines, merged the two companies and started operations in August 2002 as Rex. [1] In 2005, Australiawide Airlines was renamed Regional Express Holdings and partially floated on the Australian Securities Exchange. [2] On 30 November 2005, Rex announced the acquisition of the Dubbo-based Air Link, another regional airline. [3]

In October 2007, Rex expanded into Queensland when it commenced operations between Brisbane and Maryborough. [4] This exacerbated an existing problem within the company of not having enough pilots to crew its flights (due to the expansion of larger airlines, especially Jetstar and Virgin Blue), [5] [6] and Rex suspended operations out of Brisbane [7] (and from Sydney to Cooma during the summer "low season" for this route to the NSW ski fields) [8] in November 2007. To provide a medium-term solution to the pilot shortage, Rex announced that it was establishing a cadet-pilot flight-training programme. [9]

In November 2015, Rex announced the resumption of services to the NSW Snowy Mountains in conjunction with Snowy Mountains Airport Corporation. The flights commenced in March 2016. [10] In December 2015, Rex announced that it would be commencing operations in Western Australia in February the following year after being selected by the Government of Western Australia to be the operator of regulated RPT routes after a tender process. Initially operating between Perth to Albany and Esperance, in July 2018 the Western Australian operations expanded to include Carnarvon and Monkey Mia. It brought Rex's weekly flights to some 1,500 across 60 destinations. [11]

As of 6 April 2020, Rex has significantly scaled back all its regional services due to the COVID-19 pandemic, continuing to only offer Government subsidised services within Queensland and Western Australia and one flight a week between all 54 regional and remote communities within its route network. Adelaide to Port Augusta, Sydney to Newcastle and Sydney to Armidale services were suspended. [12]

In June 2020, Rex announced interest in expanding into the domestic airline market with operations to commence in 2021 between Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Rex leased six Boeing 737-800s with the first delivered in November 2020. [13] The first jet operations are planned to begin on 1 March 2021 on the Sydney to Melbourne route. [14]

Additionally Rex announced that it had entered into a memorandum of understanding with ATR to explore options for replacing the Saab 340 fleet with ATR 42 and ATR 72 aircraft. [15]

Destinations

Saab 340A at Burnie Airport in August 2007 Saab 340A VH-KDK.jpg
Saab 340A at Burnie Airport in August 2007
Regional Express' facility at Wagga Wagga Airport in June 2008 Regional Express HQ.jpg
Regional Express' facility at Wagga Wagga Airport in June 2008

Fleet

Saab 340B aircraft at Wagga Wagga Airport Regional Express Airlines (VH-VNA) Saab 340B at Wagga Wagga Airport.jpg
Saab 340B aircraft at Wagga Wagga Airport
Fairchild Metro 23 at Sydney Airport in May 2005 Metro 23 Rex Airline.jpg
Fairchild Metro 23 at Sydney Airport in May 2005

Rex operates the world's largest fleet of Saab 340 aircraft. [16] The delivery of 25 ex-American Eagle Airlines Saab 340B Plus aircraft started in mid-2007 and enabled the expansion of services and the phase-out of the airline's Saab 340As, and some older B models. The 340B Plus has a quieter and more comfortable interior.

In July 2008 the company announced that all of its 340As would be phased out; however one rejoined the fleet in July 2015 after a 7-year stint with Rex's subsidiary airline Pel-Air and remains in service as of January 2020. [17] [18] [19]

The airline also previously operated some Fairchild Metro 23 aircraft seating 19 passengers but were phased out.

As of October 2020, the airline operated an all Saab 340 fleet with three variants of the type. [19]

In June 2020, Rex leased six Boeing 737-800s with the first delivered in November 2020, and the further five to be delivered by March 2021. [13]

Rex fleet
AircraftIn ServiceOrdersPassengers
JY
Total
Saab 340A 103434
Saab 340B 29033/34/3633/34/36
Saab 340B+WT 2703434
Boeing 737-800 15 [20] 8162/168170/176
Total585

Incidents and accidents

Flight school

Australian Airline Pilot Academy hangar at Wagga Wagga Airport Australian Airline Pilot Academy.jpg
Australian Airline Pilot Academy hangar at Wagga Wagga Airport

In November 2007 Regional Express Airlines and Mangalore Airport Pty Limited created a joint venture pilot academy called the Civil Aviation Training Academy, based at Mangalore Airport in Victoria. [24] In April 2008 Regional Express Airlines fully acquired the Civil Aviation Training Academy and it was renamed to Australian Airline Pilot Academy. [25]

On 18 February 2009, Regional Express Airlines announced that the Australian Airline Pilot Academy (AAPA) would be relocated from Mangalore Airport to Wagga Wagga Airport in partnership with the City of Wagga Wagga starting in April 2009. [26] [27]

On 27 May 2010, the AAPA campus at Wagga Wagga Airport was officially opened by Federal Minister for Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Local Government, Anthony Albanese. [28]

See also

Related Research Articles

Air Vanuatu National airline of Vanuatu, founded in 1981

Air Vanuatu is an airline with its head office in the Air Vanuatu House, Port Vila, Vanuatu. It is Vanuatu's national flag carrier, operating to Australia, New Zealand and points in the South Pacific. Its main base is Bauerfield International Airport, Port Vila.

Mesaba Aviation, Inc. was an American regional airline based in Eagan, Minnesota From 2010 to 2012 the airline was a wholly owned subsidiary of Pinnacle Airlines Corporation. Its flights operated as Delta Connection for Delta Air Lines and US Airways Express for US Airways. Previously, the airline operated as Northwest Airlink and Northwest Jetlink on behalf of Northwest Airlines which subsequently merged with Delta. Mesaba Airlines effectively ceased operations on January 4, 2012, when all aircraft and personnel were transitioned to the Pinnacle Airlines operating certificate. Mesaba's operating certificate was surrendered on July 31, 2012.

Envoy Air Inc. is an American regional airline headquartered in Irving, Texas, in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Airlines Group that, along with several carriers outside the group, feeds the American Airlines route network under the American Eagle brand. With over 1000 flights a day, serving 150 cities across the United States, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, Envoy is considered to be one of the world's largest regional airline systems. Envoy is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. The company slogan is Going for great.

Ansett Australia Former Australian domestic airline

Ansett Australia was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airline flew domestically within Australia and from the 1990s to destinations in Asia. After operating for 65 years, the airline was placed into administration in 2001 following a financial collapse and subsequent organised liquidation in 2002, subject to deed of company arrangement. The last flight touched down on 5 March 2002.

Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services available on most routes. Its operations are based at Owen Roberts International Airport in George Town, Grand Cayman. The company slogan is Those who fly us love us.

Saab 340 Regional airliner

The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different operators.

Kendell Airlines was a regional airline in Australia, in the 1990s the largest in the country. It served major regional centres in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney. Many of its services were in co-operation with its parent company Ansett Australia from the 1990s.

DBA (airline)

DBA Luftfahrtgesellschaft mbH, founded as Delta Air and formerly branded as Deutsche BA, was a low-cost airline headquartered on the grounds of Munich Airport in a building within the municipality of Hallbergmoos, Germany. It operated scheduled domestic and international services and also operated charter flights for tour operators in Europe and North Africa.

Air Niugini

Air Niugini Limited is the national airline of Papua New Guinea, based in Air Niugini House on the property of Jacksons International Airport, Port Moresby. It operates a domestic network from Port Moresby to 12 major airports while the subsidiary company Link PNG operates the minor airports. It also operates international services in Asia, Oceania, and Australia on a weekly basis. Its main base is Jacksons International Airport which is located in 7 Mile, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea. Niugini is the Tok Pisin word for New Guinea.

Cobham Aviation Services Australia, is a scheduled and charter airline and aviation services provider with its headquarters in Adelaide, South Australia.

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport

San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport, McChesney Field is a civil airport near San Luis Obispo, California, United States. Four passenger airlines serve the airport with flights to nine cities: Dallas-Fort Worth, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle. The airport was established in 1939 and used by the U.S. military between 1939 and 1945.

QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines and Virgin Australia Regional Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1,900 flights each week to 54 domestic locations.

Newcastle Airport (New South Wales)

Newcastle Airport is 15 kilometres; 9.2 miles (8 NM) north of Newcastle, New South Wales in Port Stephens. It is the 13th busiest airport in Australia, handling over 1.25 million passengers in the year ended 30 June 2017, an increase of 6.6% on the previous year. The airport occupies a 28 ha (69-acre) site on the southern border of RAAF Base Williamtown.

Wagga Wagga Airport

Wagga Wagga Airport, is located adjacent to RAAF Base Wagga, and 5.8 nautical miles southeast of Wagga Wagga in New South Wales, Australia. The airfield is an operational base, but is leased by the Wagga Wagga City Council on a 30-year lease from the Australian Department of Defence, with RAAF Base Wagga being a ground training base. The airfield is still used by military aircraft, mostly transport aircraft transporting freight or passengers.

Mangalore Airport (Victoria)

Mangalore Airport is located 2 nautical miles west Mangalore, Victoria, Australia. The airport is about 2 hours north of Melbourne by road, and is home to the Helicopter Pilot College, Kestrel Aviation and Moorabbin Aviation Services.

Mildura Airport

Mildura Airport is located 5 nautical miles southwest of Mildura, Victoria, Australia. It is the busiest regional airport in Victoria, the 32nd busiest Australian airport and has twice been named Australia's Rural Airport of the Year.

Pel-Air

Pel-Air Aviation Pty Ltd is an airline based in Mascot, Sydney, Australia. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Regional Express Holdings, which also owns Australian airline Regional Express Airlines (Rex).

Bathurst Airport (New South Wales)

Bathurst Airport is an airport serving Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia.

Whyalla Airport

Whyalla Airport is an airport located 4 nautical miles southwest of Whyalla, South Australia.

Shellharbour Airport

Shellharbour Airport, formerly Illawarra Regional Airport, also referred as Albion Park Aerodrome or Wollongong Airport, is an airport located in Albion Park Rail, Shellharbour City, New South Wales, Australia. The Historical Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS) is located at the airport. The airline Link Airways offers daily services from the airport to Melbourne–Essendon and Brisbane.

References

  1. Flight International 12–18 April 2005
  2. Rex Invests in Pel-Air Regional Express 30 August 2005
  3. Rex Acquires Air Link Regional Express 30 November 2005
  4. Rex Touches Down in Queensland Regional Express 8 October 2007
  5. Rex Warns of Looming Catastrophic Shortage of Pilots in Australia Regional Express 9 October 2007
  6. Presentation at Press Conference held on 7 November 2007 Regional Express
  7. Rex Announces Suspension of Maryborough Service due to Pilot Shortage Regional Express 5 November 2007
  8. Ongoing Pilot Shortage Forces Regional Express to Temporarily Suspend 'Snowy Mountains' Service Regional Express 31 October 2007
  9. Rex and Mangalore Airport Announce Creation of Pilot Academy Regional Express 1 November 2007
  10. Rex to commence services to the Snowy Mountains Regional Express 19 November 2015
  11. Carnarvon and Monkey Mia to benefit from community airfares Government of Western Australia 25 June 2018
  12. Regional Express to continue servicing regional airports after Government offers COVID-19 lifeline ABC News 21 April 2020
  13. 1 2 REX ready to enter jet set Airliner World December 2020 page 19
  14. Rex locks in six Boeing 737-800 NG for Domestic Jet Operations Regional Express 20 September 2020
  15. Rex board has approved plans for domestic operations Regional Express 29 June 2020
  16. Ben Sandilands (11 May 2009). "Air safety investigation fail: Wagga REX turbo prop incident". Crikey .
  17. "Rex Announces Sale Of SAAB 340A Freighter To Bridges". Regional Express. 10 July 2008. Retrieved 24 August 2008.
  18. "Rex Plans to Phase Out Older Saab 340A Aircraft" - Rex Media Release retrieved 2009-01-14
  19. 1 2 CASA Australian civil aircraft register search, using 'Regional Express Pty. Ltd.' as the keyword. Search conducted 7 November 2016
  20. "Regional Express (ASX:REX) locks in six Boeing 737-800 NG aircrafts[sic] - The Market Herald". themarketherald.com.au. 30 September 2020. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
  21. "Rex Saab 340 in near-miss with glider". FlightGlobal . Retrieved 29 February 2016.
  22. "ATSB finds fatigue cracking in Rex propeller incident". australianaviation.com.au. Retrieved 16 April 2017.
  23. Australian Transport Safety Bureau (13 August 2020). "Oil sump coking leads to Saab 340 engine failure". www.atsb.gov.au. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  24. "Rex and Mangalore Airport Announce Creation of Pilot Academy". Regional Express. 1 November 2007. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  25. "Rex fully acquires pilot training academy". Regional Express. 21 May 2008. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  26. "REX to relocate pilot academy". News Limited. Weekly Times Now. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  27. "REX t construct pilot academy at Wagga Wagga". Regional Express. 18 February 2009. Retrieved 18 February 2009.
  28. "Reaching for the sky". The Daily Advertiser. 28 May 2010. Retrieved 28 May 2010.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Regional Express at Wikimedia Commons