Regional Express Airlines

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REX (Regional Express)
IATA
ZL		 ICAO
RXA / HZL		 Callsign
Rex
Founded 2002
Fleet size 31 (2006)
Destinations 31
Parent company Regional Express Holdings Limited
Headquarters Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia
Key people Geoff Breust, Managing Director
Website: http://www.rex.com.au/

Regional Express Airlines (also known as Rex), is an airline based in New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services [1]. It is Australia's largest private regional airline serving the south eastern states.

Contents

[edit] 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 [1]. On 30 November 2005, Rex announced the acquisition of the Dubbo based Air Link, another regional airline. [2]

[edit] Services

[edit] REX Services

from Adelaide, South Australia

from Melbourne, Victoria

from Sydney, New South Wales

[edit] Air Link Services

[edit] Fleet

Regional Express Saab 340
Regional Express Saab 340
A Regional Express Fairchild Metro 23
A Regional Express Fairchild Metro 23

As of March 2007 the Rex fleet includes: [3]

  • Rex operates 31 Saab 340 aircraft. The fleet consists mainly of ex-Kendell and Hazelton Airlines aircraft with some seating 33 (VH-ZLX, 'RXQ, 'JRX, 'XRX and 'YRX), the majority 34 passengers, and some 36 passengers with various interior options; sheepskin seat covers are a feature of the former Kendell aircraft, while leather seats are in all of the other units including ex Kendell VH-ZLR. The aircraft with 36 seats are ex-Hazelton Airlines.

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 right of the main entrance door (one aircraft, VH-EKH, still displays these logos with the motto "Our heart is in the country"). Several Saab 340B (and 1 340A) and all Kendell Regional Jets and Hazelton Metros were taken out of service following the establishment of Rex. Since the establishment of the airline, Regional Express has added 17 Saab 340s (most of them built between 1989 and 1992) to expand its fleet. Most of them have the registrations notified by VH-RX* or VH-*RX, short for REX. Of these 17, two (VH-ZLY and 'ZRX) are former Hazelton aircraft that served with other operators before being bought by Rex, these two units were also together with Crossair and Delta Air before entering service with Hazelton. 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 in 2006. Saab 340B VH-EKH is the highest-serial number Saab in the fleet until the Saab 340B Plus is introduced in 2007.

  • All Metro 23s in the fleet are ex-Kendell aircraft delivered in the early to mid 1990s. The Metroliners might be eventually sold. The Fairchild Metro 23 fleet was originally 7 but phasing-out of the type commenced in 2005. As of October 14, 2006 the 3 remaining at that time were withdrawn from passenger service (another aircraft was on lease to Sunshine Express at the time of withdrawal and has since been returned to Rex). The Metros will continue to be operated for charter flights. [4]
  • Regional Express operates the Saab 340A mainly out of Melbourne (and occasionally Adelaide and Sydney) and mostly Saab 340Bs out of Adelaide and Sydney (though the 340Bs do operate out of Melbourne to a lesser degree, especially to Merimbula, this service continuing to Sydney via Moruya). Saab 340A VH-KDK was the first aircraft of this type to be delivered and registered in Australia. Eventually some current Saab 340s will be replaced by some of 25 ex-American Eagle Saab 340B Plus aircraft (to be leased) over the next 3 years; 8 will enter service in 2007, 9 in 2008 and another 8 in 2009. The Saab 340B Plus has a much quieter and vastly improved interior. Of the 340As, which are all owned by the airline, at least 5 are scheduled to be transferred to Pel-Air and used for charter or converted to freighters (VH-ZLY, VH-ZRX and pehaps VH-KDK, are likely not to be retired), while 8 currently leased 340Bs are scheduled to be removed from service (VH-RXE, 'RXN, 'RXS, 'KRX, 'NRX, 'ORX, 'PRX and 'TRX). The 340As (which will serve mainly the busy Burnie-Wynyard and King Island, Albury and Wagga Wagga routes from Melbourne throughout 2007) are expected to be retired in 2008 or 2009.[citation needed]
  • 31 Saab 340 (Registrations VH-***)
    • 8 Saab 340A - VH-EKD, 'EKT, 'KDB, 'KDI, 'KDK, 'KEQ, 'ZLY, 'ZRX
    • 23 Saab 340B - 'EKH, 'EKX, 'KDQ, 'KDV, 'OLL, 'OLM, 'OLN, 'JRX, 'KRX, 'NRX, 'ORX, 'PRX, 'TRX, 'XRX, 'YRX, 'RXE, 'RXN, 'RXQ, 'RXS, 'RXX, 'SBA, 'ZLR, 'ZLX (VH-ZLA, ZLC and ZLQ on delivery)
  • 4 Fairchild Metro 23 - VH-KAN, 'KDO, 'KEU and 'KEX (returned from lease with Sunshine Express in December 2006).

Former Kendell Aircraft, 'EKD, 'EKH, 'EKT, 'EKX, 'KDB, 'KDI, 'KDK, 'KDQ, 'KDV, 'KEQ, 'ZLR (was KDR) Former Hazelton Aircraft, 'OLL, 'OLM, 'OLN, 'SBA, 'ZLY, 'ZRX

Apart from 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.
  • 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.

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.

[edit] Aircraft orders

Rex has ordered 25 Saab 340B Plus aircraft in the largest lease deal for the type, which has a redesigned extended wing to increase flight performance and fuel efficiency. They are scheduled to enter service over the next three years. All of these Saabs will have Hamilton Standard propellers, instead of the Dowtys found on the current fleet. VH-ZLA and 'ZLC are the first two units and will be followed by 'ZLF, 'ZLG, 'ZLH, 'ZLJ, 'ZLK, 'ZLO, 'ZLS, 'ZLU, 'ZLV, and 'ZLW. Another regular Saab 340B registered N370AM (VH-ZLQ) was already painted in the REX livery. [5]

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Flight International 12-18 April 2005
  2. ^ Rex Acquires Air Link
  3. ^ Rex website - Fleet
  4. ^ Rex website - Metro 23s
  5. ^ Rex website - Aircraft orders
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