Rex To Lease Two More B737 For Further Network Expansion

Rex has announced plans to secure two additional Boeing 737NG (Next Generation) aircraft through a new lease agreement with a lessor.

The airline has confirmed that it has signed a letter of intent with a lessor for the lease of two additional 737-800NG aircraft, which it hopes to receive in August and put into service in September.

With the addition of these planes, Rex’s fleet of 737s will grow to eight, just three months after the once-regional airline launched its first flights between two Australian capital cities, Sydney and Melbourne.

Rex has since expanded its capital city network with flights between the Gold Coast and Adelaide, as well as Sydney and Canberra.

The airline stated that the addition of the two new planes will allow it to launch more routes between capital cities, large regional centres, and popular leisure destinations, which will be announced soon.

“As foreshadowed in our plan announced last September, we hope to lease another two aircraft to bring our fleet size to ten by the end of this year,” said Rex’s deputy chairman John Sharp.

Sharp stated that the airline welcomes expressions of interest from lessors for the two new 737 aircraft, “as from cities eager to finally put an end to the price gouging that they have been subjected to for far too long.”

The announcement comes two months after Rex received its sixth 737, as the company continues to rapidly expand its capital city network. VH-REX, VH-PAG, VH-RQC, VH-RQG, VH-RQP, and VH-RYU are now among Rex’s 737s.

In May of last year, Rex announced that it was preparing to compete with Qantas and Virgin on domestic routes between capital cities, with the airline initially targeting routes within the “golden triangle” of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

Rex announced in November 2020 that it had secured a $150 million investment to fund its expansion from regional operations into capital cities.

Rex also received a High-Capacity Air Operator’s Certificate from CASA late last year, allowing it to fly 737s and any aircraft with more than 38 seats or weighing more than 4,200 kilograms.

As its rival continued its restructuring process, which included the dismantling of its budget arm, Tigerair, the airline was able to successfully cut a deal with a lessor to secure ex-Virgin Australia 737s.

By Joe Cusmano