Rex Airlines has blamed pilot, engineer and parts shortages for its decision to cut flights on nine regional routes across four states.
Key points:
- Rex has cut flights in Far North Queensland, NSW, South Australia and Victoria
- The company has pledged to reinstate flights when staff and parts shortages are resolved
- Impacted communities say the changes will have a ‘compounding effect on education, health, and culture’
Towns affected from May 1 include Cairns and Bamaga in Far North Queensland; Sydney, Broken Hill and Wagga Wagga in New South Wales; Adelaide, Mount Gambier, Whyalla, Port Lincoln and Ceduna in South Australia; and Melbourne in Victoria.
Rex’s network strategy general manager Warrick Lodge said the changes were “minor” and affected the company’s 61-strong fleet of Saab 340 Turboprop planes.
“These adjustments are necessitated by the chronic shortage of airline professionals, particularly pilots and engineers, as well as the severe disruption in the supply chain of aircraft and engine parts,” he said.
“We do understand the impact these adjustments would have on the regional communities affected as Rex is the lifeline for these communities.
“We pledge that we will reinstate the services once the situation has stabilised.”
One of the towns affected is Bamaga on Cape York, Queensland.
The town’s typical dry season schedule sees flights from Cairns twice daily on weekdays, plus a flight on Saturday and Sunday.
But instead of 12 flights a week on the 750-kilometre route, there will now be four — on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.
Queensland’s Young Australian of the Year for 2023, Talei Elu, comes from nearby Seisia and said flight reductions had a compounding effect on education, health and culture.
“These decisions are made really independent of us,” she said.
“We now have to deal with the ramifications of that, unfortunately, and being already in a region where it’s a low socio-economic earning region, we’ve had transportation issues generally.
“It’s a beautiful place to live, but it is a tough place to live — and it just feels like it is getting tougher with this news.”
Northern Peninsula Area (NPA) Regional Council acting chief executive Kate Gallaway said it would make life difficult for the community.
“This will obviously just make it a lot harder for people to not only have to be able to conduct business here in the NPA, but travel to other places and Far North Queensland … for family and cultural events,” she said.
“When there isn’t availability for people to fly, people have to risk it on the road to travel to Cairns.”
Bamaga is also serviced by Skytrans three times weekly.