Regional Express has announced it will begin flying between Canberra and Sydney on 19 April 2021, with fares from just $99 one way.
Regional Express has announced the launch of a direct Canberra-Sydney route from 19 April, with the airline stating that it will give commuters the opportunity to save “60 – $100 million to commuters when numbers return to pre-COVID”.
Rex will initially commence with seven return flights a day and could exceed 10 returns a day if the patronage is good.
The airline claims that the move will see the end of the monopoly on a route that had almost 1 million annual passengers pre COVID; making it large enough to sustain two competing carriers.
Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon John Sharp AM, said: “At a time when many small businesses and households are still struggling to make ends meet, our fares will make a world of difference to the community that routinely sees one-way fares close to $1,000 for this short sector.”
“Rex’s affordable fares will greatly stimulate more business and leisure traffic between Sydney and the national capital as the industry continues to recover,”
Rex Deputy Chairman, the Hon John Sharp AM
Shout out to Canberra Airport
Rex expressed its gratitude for the support provided by Canberra Airport as well as the ACT Government enabling services to be mounted in the most favourable conditions for the community.
Andrew Barr, ACT Chief Minister, said: “Growing aviation links into Canberra is a key priority for the ACT Government. The investment Rex is making is a vote of confidence in this city and we are delighted to be working closely with the airline and Canberra Airport through Visit Canberra to widely promote the new services and contribute to the growth of the route.
Canberra Airport’s CEO, Stephen Byron, said, “We are pleased to welcome REX to Canberra, which is a positive sign they are making an investment in a growing and expanding region.
“This new Canberra – Sydney route will offer more choice for our travellers, stimulate jobs and grow the air travel market which is a win-win for us all.”
Stephen Byron, Canberra Airport’s CEO
Rex will have a lounge at Canberra airport, complementing the airline’s existing lounge in Sydney which will give way to a new, much larger lounge opposite Gate 49 in the coming months.
Winds of change at Rex
In February, Rex has announced it will cut five of its ‘marginal routes’ at the end of March 2021, in a move that allows the airline to stand its ground on routes where it now faces direct competition from Qantas.
On 1 March, Rex announced that it will be starting an Adelaide – Melbourne service, which will be just the second service between capital cities offered by the Country Airline, with its Sydney- Melbourne service taking off on the day of the announcement.
Rex had previously planned to launch Sydney-Brisbane flights next to add a second route that was highly popular with business travellers, but it said it will instead launch the more leisure-oriented Adelaide and Gold Coast routes in time for the Easter long weekend in early April.
Now, throw in a Sydney-Canberra route and Rex is proving itself as a fast-growing domestic airline.
The new Sydney-Canberra flights are on sale from later this week.