Bush airline Regional Express has played a significant role in the aviation market for two decades.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Its business has been to service routes between regional centres and the major cities. Before then there was the forerunner to REX of the separate Kendell and Hazleton airlines.
They operated back in the boom time of the 1990s, when Kendell was the largest in regional Australia, only to be grounded with the collapse of Ansett Airlines in late 2000.
It was out of the joined forces of the two businesses that Regional Express was born.
In the years since, Regional Express has consistently played a central role in ferrying Border residents to and from both Melbourne and Sydney.
Such has been the ever-evolving growth of the market out of Albury that over time Qantas and Virgin began to make substantial mark.
But throughout that, Regional Express has maintained a commitment to the two key markets of the NSW and Victorian capitals.
That now has, in effect, collapsed, with the shock decision by Regional Express to no longer service the southern city market.
This is not an insignificant step given, as deputy chairman John Sharp points out, REX has been flying the route for 39 years.
And REX has been quick to claim that it's not its fault. Instead, it has taken aim at its big brother national carrier Qantas.
Indeed, it claims the decision is squarely due to "Qantas' illegal predatory behaviour to drive out competition in a war of attrition, knowing that its competitors do not have the balance sheet to lose money indefinitely".
REX claims this has been done simply through the act of "dumping" additional passenger seats into the market.
An initial look at the figures would suggest REX has maintained a decent hold on the market.
Qantas's six flights a week add up to 31,200 seats a year, while REX's 12 flights amount to 44,928 seats.
Qantas, as to be expected, denies the claims from Regional Express, arguing that REX believes "they have an enshrined right to be the only carrier on some regional routes".
But regardless of who or what is truly to blame, there is no doubt the biggest losers are Border residents.
To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.
Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content:
- Bookmark
- Make sure you are signed up for our breaking and regular headlines newsletters
- Follow us on Twitter: @bordermail
- Follow us on Instagram @bordermail
- Follow us on Google News