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'Regional Express Airlines' (also known as 'Rex'), is an airline based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services^[1]. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves the South Eastern states. Its entire fleet consists of Swedish built SAAB 340 turboprop aircraft seating 33, 34 or 36 passengers.

Contents

History

Services

REX Services

Fleet

The REX Fleet

Aircraft orders

References

See also

External links

History

The airline was established in 2002 when the Australiawide Airlines consortium (set up by former Ansett employees) acquired Hazelton Airlines and Kendell Airlines and started operations in August 2002 as Rex. On 30 August 2005 Rex announced the staged purchase of Pel-Air^[2]; Pel-Air became a wholly-owned subsidiary in June 2007^[3]. On 30 November 2005, Rex announced the acquisition of the Dubbo based Air Link, another regional airline^[4].

Services

REX Services

'from Adelaide, South Australia'

★ Broken Hill, New South Wales 340B

★ Ceduna, South Australia 340B

★ Coober Pedy, South Australia 340A/B

★ Kingscote, Kangaroo Island, South Australia 340A/B

★ Mount Gambier, South Australia 340A/B

★ Port Lincoln, South Australia 340B

★ Whyalla, South Australia 340A/B
'from Brisbane, Queensland'

★ Maryborough, Queensland (Starts 7th October 2007) 340B

★ Lismore, New South Wales (Starts 7th October 2007, Saturdays only) 340B
'from Melbourne, Victoria'

★ Albury, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Burnie, Tasmania 340A

★ Griffith, New South Wales 340A/B

★ King Island, Tasmania 340A

★ Merimbula, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Mildura, Victoria 340A

★ Mount Gambier, South Australia 340A/B

★ Wagga Wagga, New South Wales 340A/B
'from Sydney, New South Wales'

★ Albury, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Ballina, New South Wales 340B

★ Broken Hill, New South Wales 340B

★ Cooma, New South Wales 340B

★ Dubbo, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Grafton, New South Wales 340B

★ Griffith, New South Wales 340B

★ Lismore, New South Wales 340B

★ Merimbula, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Mildura, Victoria 340B

★ Moruya, New South Wales 340A/B

★ Narrandera, New South Wales 340B

★ Orange, New South Wales 340B

★ Parkes, New South Wales 340B

★ Taree, New South Wales 340B

★ Wagga Wagga, New South Wales 340A/B

★ West Wyalong, New South Wales 340B

Fleet

Regional Express Saab 340A

Rex operates a large fleet of twin turboprop engined SAAB 340 passenger aircraft with some seating 33, the majority 34 passengers, and some 36 passengers. The aircraft with 36 seats are ex-Hazelton Airlines. Several 340Bs (and 1 340A) and all Kendell CRJ-200s and Hazelton Metros were taken out of service following the establishment of Regional Express. Since then the former Kendell Metro fleet has also been gradually phased out of service, with the remaining 4 aircraft being transferred to Pel-Air in late 2006 and the first half of 2007^[5].
When the Regional Express livery was first introduced, the logos of the former operators Kendell and Hazelton were located underneath the leading passenger window to the rear of the main entrance door (one aircraft, VH-EKH, still displays these logos with the motto "Our heart is in the country").

A Fairchild Metro 23 formerly operated by Regional Express

Since the establishment of the airline, Regional Express has added over twenty SAABs to those inherited from Kendell and Hazelton to expand its fleet. Most of them have the registrations notified by VH-RX
★ or VH-
★ RX, short for REX. Of these, two (VH-ZLY and 'ZRX) are former Hazelton aircraft that served with other operators before being bought by Rex. One aircraft, VH-ZLR, was operated by Kendell Airlines and Rex (as VH-KDR), then flew in Europe for several years before being re-leased by Rex.
Regional Express operates the SAAB 340A mainly out of Melbourne and mostly SAAB 340Bs out of Adelaide and Sydney (though the 340Bs do operate out of Melbourne to a lesser degree, especially to Griffith and to Merimbula, this service continuing to Sydney via Moruya). 340A VH-KDK was the first aircraft of this type to be delivered and registered in Australia. The delivery of 25 ex-American Eagle 'SAAB 340B ''Plus''' aircraft (to be leased) over 3 years starting in mid-2007 will enable the expansion of services and the retirement of older aircraft, and increase the fleet to about 50 units. Expansion will commence in October 2007 with services from Brisbane^[6]. The 340B ''Plus'' has a quieter and vastly improved interior, with leather seating.
In addition to VH-EKH mentioned above, several aircraft in the Rex fleet display special logos or other visual features:

★ VH-EKD has a mural on the LH forward fuselage promoting the outback City of Broken Hill. This mural was executed by a group known as the Arid Zone Artists shortly after repaint into Kendell's Ansett scheme in 1998.

★ VH-EKT displays the Seal of the City of Burnie on the entry door which has been present since the aircraft was delivered to Kendell in 1990. The dark red round Seal contains an emu in the middle with the words "non nobis Solum" written at the bottom and "City of Burnie" on the top of the round seal; "City of Burnie" is repeated in a larger black font above the seal.

The second of 25 Saab 340B ''Plus'' aircraft for Regional Express

★ VH-ZLR is missing the 13 17 13 titles.

★ VH-TRX has a caricature of Kay Hull MHR, whose efforts were instrumental in helping Rex to become established, on the LH forward fuselage. The City of Wagga Wagga is within her electorate of Riverina.

★ VH-ZRX has "SAAB 340" written on the door instead of a Saab corporate logo, a relic of its service with Air Nelson.
Several aircraft also have decals displaying the SAAB corporate logo on the entry door or the "Our heart is in the country" motto; some have both.

The REX Fleet

As of August 2007, 8 340A, 22 340B and 5 340B ''Plus'' aircraft^[7] are in the expanding fleet. In July 2007 the company announced that it had purchased five previously-leased 340B aircraft. They are VH-RXE, RXN, RXS, RXX and another. ^[8].

Registration	Aircraft Type	Owned/Leased	Year Built	No of Seats
VH-EKD	Saab 340A	Owned	1989	34
VH-EKH	Saab 340B+	Leased	1995	34
VH-EKT	Saab 340A	Owned	1987	34
VH-EKX	Saab 340B	Leased	1991	34
VH-JRX	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	33
VH-KDB	Saab 340A	Owned	1984	34
VH-KDI	Saab 340A	Owned	1988	34
VH-KDK	Saab 340A	Owned	1985	34
VH-KDQ	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-KDV	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-KEQ	Saab 340A	Owned	1984	34
VH-KRX	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-NRX	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-OLL	Saab 340B	Owned	1989	36
VH-OLM	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	36
VH-OLN	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	36
VH-ORX	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-PRX	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-RXE	Saab 340B	Owned	1991	34
VH-RXN	Saab 340B	Owned	1991	34
VH-RXQ	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	33
VH-RXS	Saab 340B	Owned	1992	34
VH-RXX	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	34
VH-SBA	Saab 340B	Owned	1992	36
VH-TRX	Saab 340B	Leased	1992	34
VH-XRX	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	33
VH-YRX	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	33
VH-ZLA	Saab 340B+	Leased	1995	34
VH-ZLC	Saab 340B+	Leased	1995	34
VH-ZLF	Saab 340B+	Leased	1995	34
VH-ZLG	Saab 340B+	To be Delivered September 2007	1995	34
VH-ZLH	Saab 340B+	To be Delivered October 2007	1995	34
VH-ZLJ	Saab 340B+	To be Delivered November 2007	1995	34
VH-ZLK	Saab 340B+	To be Delivered December 2007	1995	34
VH-ZLQ	Saab 340B+	Leased	1995	34
VH-ZLR	Saab 340B	Leased	1991	34
VH-ZLX	Saab 340B	Owned	1990	33
VH-ZLY	Saab 340A	Owned	1985	36
VH-ZRX	Saab 340A	Owned	1985	36

Pictures of the new SAAB 340B ''Plus'' aircraft in the USA prior to delivery.
Picture of VH-ZLQ - http://www.pbase.com/lexyky/image/76003357
Picture of VH-ZLC - http://www.pbase.com/lexyky/image/75103010
Picture of VH-ZLF - http://www.pbase.com/lexyky/image/75828379
Picture of VH-ZLG - http://www.superwombat.com/nash0607vhzlg.html

Aircraft orders

Rex has ordered 25 SAAB 340B ''Plus'' aircraft, which have a redesigned extended wing to increase flight performance and fuel efficiency. The first was originally scheduled to arrive in late 2006, however REX took delivery of the first on April 30 2007; it entered service on June 6th. The second was delivered early in June and the third and fourth in early July and August respectively. The next is due in September. This will bring the REX fleet to 36. The 340B ''Plus'' aircraft (which will have 34 seats) will be painted in the REX livery prior to delivery and are fitted with Hamilton Standard propellers instead of the Dowty Rotol units fitted to the exisiting fleet.

References

1. Flight International 12-18 April 2005
2. Rex Invests in Pel-Air
3. Rex buys Pel-Air
4. Rex Acquires Air Link
5. CASA Australian civil register database. Online search conducted 2007-08-16
6. Rex coming to Brisbane
7. CASA Australian civil register database. Online search conducted 2007-08-16
8. Rex buys 5 Saabs

See also

★ Ansett Australia

★ Kendell Airlines

★ Hazelton Airlines

External links

★ Rex History