Another one bites the dust! After much speculation, budget airline operator Rex Airlines has officially confirmed it’s gone into voluntary administration. This is pretty grim news for Australia’s aviation industry, especially after budget carrier Bonza’s collapse earlier this year.
As Australia’s third-largest airline, Rex connects dozens of smaller regional towns and cities around the country – many of which are bypassed by the bigger players, like Qantas and Virgin. Just months ago, things were looking up for the regional operator, which was the sole carrier to rise the ranks in this year’s global best airline rankings. Rex Airlines cracked the top 50 in 2024, jumping six spots from its 56th place ranking in 2023.
In a statement posted to the Rex website on July 30, Regional Express Holdings Limited and a number of its subsidiaries under the Rex Group announced they had entered voluntary administration, with EY being appointed as administrators.
“Flights between major airports have been cancelled, with the Rex Group’s domestic fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft all grounded,” the statement said.
In response, Virgin Australia, Qantas and Jetstar are offering affected passengers the chance to transfer their tickets to the same route on any of their airlines, free of charge.
The semi-good news is that services on Rex’s regional Saab 340 flights will continue to operate and remain unaffected by the administration. Perhaps it’s time for a road trip instead?
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