Australian regional carrier Rex now connects Brisbane with three other capital cities following its inaugural flight to Adelaide on Monday. Rex’s Deputy Chairman John Sharp told a media conference at the airport the new daily flights operated by a Boeing 737-800NG would provide an additional 124,000 seats a year between Brisbane and Adelaide. Prior to the pandemic, 875,000 people flew between these two cities.
“The strong forward bookings show demand is roaring back as people realise that $149 is great value for money to fly with the airline which is Australia’s most reliable, with the best on-time performance and the lowest cancellation rate,” Sharp said. “Today also marks another new milestone for the Rex group as Rex harnesses the resources of its group member, National Jet Express (NJE), to operate some of its services with its modern, fuel-efficient De Havilland Q400NG aircraft. For a start, NJE will operate Rex’s Perth- Carnarvon flights three times a week.”
“Come 22 November, Queenslanders will also be able to experience first-hand how NJE embraces the Rex ethos of offering outstanding reliability and genuine country hospitality. Rex’s new Brisbane-Cairns service is priced at $149, $56 cheaper than the lowest Qantas fare,” Sharp added. “Access to NJE resources opens up a world of possibilities for Rex and allows us to look closely at the viability of flying to more major Queensland coastal cities and major tourist destinations. We will be injecting more Q400NG aircraft into NJE for Queensland to meet the expanding demand for our services.” He said Rex was also adding additional flights between Brisbane and Melbourne over the Christmas holidays. These will be scheduled between 16 December and 7 January to satisfy demand. The extra flights will be supported by the arrival of Rex’s 10th Boeing 737-800NG which is due to be delivered next month.
Queensland Assistant Tourism Minister and Member for Cairns Michael Healy said expanded aviation services were always welcomed by the tourism industry. “More inbound seats are critical to tourism operators, the visitor economies of our world-class holiday destinations and essential to real Queensland jobs, which are a priority for the Palaszczuk Government,” Healy said. “As Australia’s favourite holiday destination, we look forward to sharing more of Queensland’s great lifestyle with interstate passengers travelling with Rex on the airline’s expanded flight network. The extra connectivity Rex brings to Queensland opens up a host of new opportunities for Australian and international visitors to explore this State’s awe-inspiring tourism experiences.”
Brisbane Airport’s Gert-Jan de Graaff said: “Today’s inaugural flight by Rex restores capacity between Brisbane and Adelaide to pre-pandemic levels. When you combine Rex’s regional footprint across Queensland and South Australia with Brisbane Airport’s vast network, this a great result for travellers from two states.”
Tourism and Events Queensland’s Patricia O’Callaghan said the thirst for Queensland over the past few years hadn’t been quenched. “We’re continuing to welcome record numbers of domestic holiday visitors to Queensland. Direct aviation access into our tourism destinations is critical and we welcome these latest announcements by Rex to offer new services. We have a campaign live now with Rex to book sharp fares from interstate and around Queensland and I encourage Aussies to jump online and snap up a good deal.”
Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline operating a fleet of 58 Saab 340 and 9 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 56 destinations throughout all states in Australia. In addition to the airline Rex, the Rex Group comprises wholly owned subsidiaries Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), the Australian Airline Pilot Academy with campuses in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat, and propeller maintenance organisation, Australian Aerospace Propeller Maintenance. Rex is also a 50% shareholder of National Jet Express (NJE), a premier Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO), charter and freight operator.
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