Bringing its fleet of Boeing jets to nine, Rex Airlines has announced it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) to lease two B737-800NG aircraft.
The new planes, which grow Rex’s jet fleet by 30 per cent, are due to arrive in Australia in June and July this year.
“Rex’s domestic jet services have been performing very strongly and have been profitable in the past four months,” Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon John Sharp AM said.
“The travelling public has been crying out for our reliable and affordable services in the light of the shameless price gouging by Qantas and these new additions will help to alleviate the situation.
“We are still deciding where to deploy these additional aircraft and will explore all options.”
Currently operating a fleet of 61 Saab 340 and seven Boeing 737-800NG aircraft to 58 destinations in every state, Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional and domestic airline.
It also owns Pel-Air Aviation (air freight, aeromedical and charter operator), among other operations, and is a 50 per cent shareholder of Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) charter and freight operator, National Jet Express (NJE).
Late last year, the Sydney-based carrier reported a Profit Before Tax for its jet operations of around $2 million (for October 2022), the first time its jet operations reported a profit.
It also commenced an interline service agreement with Delta Air Lines the carriers said would “create a streamlined travel experience for passengers flying between Australia and mainland America”.
In an Australian first, Rex also unveiled real-time bidding for Business Class upgrades on its domestic flights.
