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Regional Express Airlines

Regional Express
Regional Express Airlines logo.svg
IATA ICAO Callsign
ZL RXA REX
Founded 2002
Operating bases Adelaide Airport
Melbourne Airport
Sydney Airport
Townsville Airport
Cairns Airport
Perth Airport
Fleet size 52
Destinations 54
Company slogan "Our heart is in the country"
Parent company Regional Express Holdings
Headquarters Mascot
Key people
  • Lim Kim Hai, Executive Chairman/ Majority Shareholder
  • Neville Howell, COO
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, North Queensland, Tasmania and Western Australia. Its entire fleet consists of 52 Swedish built Saab 340 turboprop aircraft seating 33, 34 or 36 passengers.

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. In 2005, Australiawide Airlines was renamed Regional Express Holdings and partially floated on the Australian Securities Exchange. On 30 November 2005, Rex announced the acquisition of the Dubbo-based Air Link, another regional airline.

In October 2007, Rex expanded into Queensland when it commenced operations between Brisbane and Maryborough. 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 Airways and Virgin Blue), and Rex suspended operations out of Brisbane (and from Sydney to Cooma during the summer "low season" for this route to the NSW ski fields) 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. At the same time, Rex announced the impending retirement of Managing director Geoff Breust.


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