Statement on Rex Airlines

Regional Cities New South Wales has today renewed calls for the Federal Government to protect regional communities by acting to save Rex Airlines’ regional routes.
 
This call comes in the face of news that Rex Airlines has appointed voluntary administrators, suspended operations between major cities and stood down staff impacting regional communities.
 
Regional Cities New South Wales Chair and Mayor of Dubbo City Council, Cr Mathew Dickerson, said having affordable and reliable regional air services that connect regional communities to the major capitals and each other is fundamental to the future of regional cities.
 
“Many regional cities in NSW are serviced by Rex Airlines, and across regional NSW, some centres only have a Rex service,” Cr Dickerson said.
 Rex Airlines services eight regional cities in NSW, namely: Albury, Broken Hill, Coffs Harbour, Dubbo, Griffith, Orange, Wagga Wagga, and the Tweed (through the Gold Coast).
 
“There is great concern that the loss of a Rex Airlines service will not only reduce the number of flights but also reduce competition,” Cr Dickerson said.
 
“We have seen in some parts of the country that this leads to more expensive airfares, making air travel unaffordable for some people,” Cr Dickerson said.
 
“Regional aviation supports the delivery of services that range from healthcare and education opportunities to connecting agriculture, tourism, and mining to broader opportunities,” Cr Dickerson continued.
 
Regional cities have been making the case to the Federal Government to recognise the vulnerability of regional aviation and reduce the burden of costly measures such as security, and also to improve competition for timely slots into metropolitan centres such as Sydney Airport.
 
“Clearly, there are some big challenges in regional aviation with the loss of Bonza in April this year and all airlines cancelling multiple regional routes since the start of the year,” Cr Dickerson said.
 
“Regional cities are big contributors to the NSW economy, and aviation underpins this contribution. All stops must be pulled out to solve this issue,” Cr Dickerson said.
 
“Our thoughts are also with those Rex Airlines workers who have either been stood down today or whose future remains uncertain,” Cr Dickerson said.
 
“Many of these people live and work in our cities. This is a very difficult day for them and their families,” Cr Dickerson concluded.

“We have seen in some parts of the country this leads to more expensive airfares making air travel unaffordable for some people,” Cr Dickerson said.

“Regional aviation supports the delivery of services that range from healthcare, education opportunities as well as connecting agriculture, tourism and mining broader opportunities,” Cr Dickerson continued.

Regional cities have been making the case to the Federal Government to recognise the vulnerability of regional aviation and reduce the burden of costly measures such a security and also to improve competition for timely slots into metropolitan centres such as Sydney Airport.

“Clearly there are some big challenges in regional aviation with the loss of Bonza in April this year and all airlines cancelling regional routes since the start of the year,” Cr Dickerson said.

“Regional cities are big contributors to the NSW economy and aviation underpins this contribution, all stops must be pulled out to solve this issue,” Cr Dickerson said.

“Our thoughts are also with those Rex Airline workers who have either been stood down or who’s future remains uncertain,” Cr Dickerson said.

“Many of these people live and work in our cities, this is a very difficult time for them and their families” Cr Dickerson concluded.