Rex airline

...the administrators for Rex Airlines have advised the sale of Pel-Air, part of the Rex business, to Helicorp Pty Ltd, part of Toll Aviation. Pel-Air is the contractor supplying ambulance services to Ambulance Victoria and NSW Ambulance, along with specially-modified aircraft for international and domestic aeromedical transfers.  

Today, I directed the Slot Manager at Sydney Airport to suspend the application of the ‘use it or lose it’ test on Rex’s regional NSW slot holdings for the current and upcoming scheduling season. This test stipulates that airlines must use 80 per cent of their allocated slots or risk losing them. Its suspension will protect Rex’s NSW regional slots at Sydney Airport until late March 2026.

I’m Sam Freeman, and alongside Justin Walsh, Adam Nikitins, and our team, we have been working to ensure Rex’s regional services continue through – and beyond – Rex’s Voluntary Administration.  As we shared on social media last week, we’ve been focused on ensuring our regional network operates without disruption and I’m proud to say that since Wednesday last week, we’ve carried thousands of passengers across hundreds of sectors.

Farmers have renewed calls for meaningful competition reform as experts warn the aviation sector faces similar problems to the supermarket sector ... While Rex’s regional routes were still in operation, NSW Farmers President Xavier Martin said the similarities between aviation and supermarket concentration were too big to ignore.

Councils from across Western Queensland are calling on governments to do everything possible to ensure Rex Airlines continues to service its regional routes in Queensland. We are alarmed at the current situation and what this could mean for the vital service Rex flights provide for our remote and rural areas ... These flights are fundamental to residents in our part of the world, and we need these services to be maintained.

Overnight it was announced that Regional Express Holdings and a number of its subsidiaries have entered voluntary administration. Samuel Freeman, Justin Walsh and Adam Nikitins of Ernst & Young Australia (EY Australia) have been appointed Joint and Several Voluntary Administrators by the Rex Group’s respective Boards of Directors.  

Narrandera and Leeton Shire Councils will be keeping their eyes open and continuing dialogue with Regional Express executives in relation to flight reductions and timing of flight schedules being resumed at the Narrandera Airport. An overview of the continued Regional Express flight reductions through until at least the end of October 2024 was considered by the joint airport management committee.

REX last week unveiled its new interline partnership with one of the world’s leading airlines, Etihad Airways. This exciting partnership between Rex and Etihad, the UAE’s national carrier, provides passengers on Rex’s domestic routes convenient connections with Etihad’s global network.

Regional Express Airlines will prolong the suspension of some of its flights for another seven months, blaming sustained supply chain challenges. Rex cut flights on seven of its NSW routes in September including from Sydney to Albury, Coffs Harbour, Griffith, Narrandera, Orange, Parkes and Port Macquarie.