Rex’s new capital city services will benefit regions: Sharp

Regional Express is planning to introduce new routes as well as increase services to country centres to support its new capital city services starting in autumn.

The airline will begin flying between Sydney and Melbourne on 1 March with a Sydney-Brisbane service scheduled for after Easter. It eventually hopes to have at least 10 Boeing 737-800 jets flying between five state capitals.

Rex deputy
chairman John Sharp says passengers will benefit substantially from the introduction
of the 737 services.

“Regional travellers will get a much better deal, and inter-city passengers [will] get a full-service offering at a budget airline price,” Mr Sharp told the Farm Online website last month.

“A fairly
large number of our regional travellers already fly to Melbourne, Sydney or
Brisbane via connecting flights with other carriers, but they can now access
much cheaper combined fares.

“It will be
easier, too. Just one baggage check-in at Bathurst or Armidale and no more
changing airport lounges in Sydney to catch a different airline flight to
Melbourne.”.

Rex has new
routes to Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie, and Tamworth, and Geraldton in WA on
the drawing board – as well as extra services to Albury and Mildura on the
NSW-Victorian border.

Mr Sharp
says he is confident Rex’s new intercity services will be profitable.

“We’ve
already been competing with Qantas on regional routes for a hell of a long
time, and we’re not frightened by a new challenge.”

In other
aviation news, large regional airports are getting $66 million in Commonwealth
funding to allay the costs of security screening compliance.

Grant
funding from the Regional Airports Screening Infrastructure (RASI) program will
also allow eligible regional airports – including Rockhampton, Townsville,
Whyalla, Ayers Rock (Uluru), Ballina Byron and Broome – to carry out necessary
infrastructure works in preparation for the full resumption of air service.

The grants were announced by the Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications shortly before Christmas.