REX PREPARES TO SERVICE BRINDABELLA ROUTES

In response to urgent community and State Members’ appeals, Regional Express (Rex) announced today that it had begun preparations to place several of Brindabella Airlines’ NSW ports onto its Air Operating Certificate (AOC).

Rex General Manager of Network Strategy and Sales Warrick Lodge said that ports not already on Rex’s AOC require the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority’s (CASA) approval before Rex could mount regular public transport (RPT) air services to them. The Rex Group already has CASA approval for Orange, Newcastle, Cobar and Mudgee, and will be seeking approval for Moree and Narrabri in the first instance, and possibly Cooma in time for winter 2015.

Mr Lodge commented, “We do not anticipate any difficulties obtaining CASA approvals, but given the time of the year, we believe we should begin work sooner rather than later to be ready for the new tender for the licensed routes of Brindabella Airlines, which has gone into administration.”
“Rex has the capacity to provide a better service for Moree than had been provided to that community in the past.”

“For example, we would envisage providing Moree with a new prime morning slot into Sydney, drawn from Rex’s own pool of NSW regional slots, which would allow for an early arrival in Sydney before 8am for optimal same-day return travel. We had to rework a significant portion of our NSW network to be able to provide good flight schedules for all these new routes.”

“I am planning urgent consultations with the affected local councils over the next two weeks with the intention of drawing up partnership arrangements so that these communities can have for the first time, what many parts of regional Australia have enjoyed over the past decade – a stable, sustainable and high quality air service. Rex has the best On-Time Performance, lowest cancellation rates and best customer appeal in Australia and has long been recognised as the best regional airline in the world.”

Regional Express (Rex) is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet of more than 40 Saab 340 aircraft on some 1,300 weekly flights to 35 destinations throughout New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, South Australia and Queensland. The Rex Group comprises Regional Express, air freight and charter operator Pel-Air Aviation and Dubbo- based regional airline Air Link, as well as the pilot academy Australian Airline Pilot Academy.