Summary
- Second route to Perth announced in a week, Rex continues expansion across Australia with new Adelaide-Perth service on E190 jets.
- Rex Group airline National Jet Express will operate the new Adelaide-Perth service offering 30,000+ more seats annually.
- Rex promises better service and reliability on the Adelaide-Perth route, challenging existing carriers with competitive fares and seamless connectivity.
More Australians will soon enjoy flying on the Embraer E190 following a new route announcement from regional and domestic airline Rex. Within a few days of launching flights between Melbourne and Perth, Rex is adding its twelfth domestic route, this time between Adelaide and Perth.
Second route to Perth in a week
After launching its domestic jet operations in the depths of COVID-19, Rex has now announced its twelfth domestic route, a new three-times-weekly service between Adelaide and Perth commencing on June 28, 2024. The route will be flown on Embraer E190 jets operated by Rex Group member National Jet Express, which also operates the Brisbane to Cairns services on behalf of Rex.
Photo: NJE
National Jet Express (NJE) is perhaps better known for its operations in the resource and Fly-In-Fly-Out (FIFO) sector, but with its headquarters in Perth and a base in Adelaide, it is ideally placed to utilize its aircraft and crew to launch the new service. The announcement was made today at Adelaide Airport (ADL) by National Jet Express Director Anthony Gibara, in the company of Adelaide Airport Managing Director Brenton Cox and South Australia Minister for Tourism Zoe Bettison.
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Today, Rex announced its eleventh domestic route and now has Australia covered from the northeast to the southwest corners.
With Simple Flying in attendance, Gibara said this was Rex’s twelfth domestic route and the fourth domestic route from Adelaide, and it will start with an initial frequency of three return services weekly using the Embraer E190, with tickets now on sale. He added:
“We think there is a significant demand, and in 2023, about 630,000 passengers traveled between Adelaide and Perth. We also have plans to scale up those operations once we are established on the route. Competition is a good thing, and this particular route needs some competition so our fares of $249 will certainly stimulate the market, and every time Rex enters a new market we’ve seen a change in the fare structure.”
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Rex Group’s National Jet Express Adds 7th Embraer E190 To Its 9 Dash 8-Q400s
Rex is steadily adding Boeing 737s, Embraer E190s and de Havilland Dash 8s to its group airlines as it expands across multiple airlines and sectors.
The promise of reliable services
The NJE Embraer E-190 jets, which will be ticketed as Rex flights, seat more than 100 passengers and the new Rex services will add more than 30,000 seats annually to the popular route. In addition to adding more capacity to the route, Rex also pledged to bring more reliability, seamless regional connectivity and better performance than what is currently on offer, replicating what it consistently achieves across its national domestic network. Gibara added:
“This is terrific news for Perth and Adelaide travellers because more operators means more competition but in the case of Rex, it also means better service and reliability. There were almost 85 canceled flights by Virgin and Qantas carriers on this route in the first four months of 2024, and travelers deserve better, and they will get it with Rex.”
Photo: Rex
Rex is currently flying its Boeing 737-800s from Adelaide Airport to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, and once the new Perth route is established, it may well introduce the higher capacity 737s or increase frequencies with the Embraer E190s. This cooperation is another example of the powerful synergies the Rex Group can bring to Australian aviation, with Rex operating a fleet of nine 737-800s and 58 Saab 340s, while NJE has seven E190s and nine De Havilland Dash 8-400 turboprops.
The new route is now the 12th domestic service for the Rex Group, which flies to major capital cities and popular destinations, including Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and the Gold Coast. Services to Perth from both Adelaide and Melbourne will begin next month, and the Adelaide-Perth one-way starting fare of AU$249 ($165) includes a checked bag, carry-on and refreshments onboard.
Have you traveled on a Rex or NJE flight? Let us know in the comments.