Rex Cutting Flights In Australia

Regional operator REX based in Australia has announced that it’ll cut operations across its route network in May.

A decision comes following the operator’s recent rise. They note that labour shortages, specifically around its Saab 340B, are hitting the company hard. Additionally, the carrier has mentioned a severe disruption in the global supply chain for engine parts.

Rex joins the list of growing carriers impacted by supply chain issues. For example, Air New Zealand announced its plans to ground two Airbus A321neo due to Pratt and Whitney’s ongoing engine crisis.

Rex says routes such as Melbourne to Wagga Wagga, Cairns to Bamaga, Sydney to Broken Hill and Sydney to Wagga Wagga will be impacted. However, ultimately there are also further services to be hit. To be completely clear, the airline recommends checking in with them regarding any future bookings.

The cuts will impact multiple Australian states. Rex, or Regional Express, has grown in the market in recent years with new aircraft acquired and positive customer feedback.

However, the lack of engineers and pilots for Rex is undoing immense amounts of work done by executives and the team at the airline. Paired with a supply chain increasingly under pressure, it provides a worst-case scenario.

The aviation industry is unlucky in that roles that have shortages are not jobs that can very simply be sorted in a matter of months. Instead, in multiple instances, these jobs take years, sometimes almost a decade, of training and qualifications before a replacement can be found. As a result, the pandemic massively hurt companies globally, regardless of their size or business model.