Rex threatening to pull out of Australia’s best regional airport

In a win for the local council, Dubbo has been named Australia’s best regional airport despite being at war with Rex.

Australia’s best regional airport, Dubbo, hosted a visit from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex last year. Picture: Getty Images

The airport at the centre of a stoush between Regional Express Airlines and Dubbo Regional Council has won a coveted Australian Airports Association award.

Dubbo City Airport took out the gong for best regional airport during the AAA’s national conference on the Gold Coast this week. Brisbane Airport was named best capital city airport, and Avalon best major airport after welcoming its first international services this year.

AAA chief executive Caroline Wilkie said every year airports found new ways to work smarter and faster, with passengers always in focus.

Rex and Dubbo Regional Council have been at loggerheads since July over a $1.99 increase in airport charges from $14.90 a passenger to $16.89.

The council said the increase was necessary to fund the future renewal of the upgraded runway but Rex claimed the upgrade was not warranted, and the charges were damaging the airline’s commercial viability.

Rex also objected to the $6.60 charge per passenger for security screening, which was levied despite the fact their aircraft were not large enough to qualify for those services by law.

In a letter to the council, Rex general manager of network strategy and sales Warwick Lodge warned that if their concerns were not addressed, they might start planning the redeployment of 61 weekly services to Dubbo.

When the council refused to back down, scathing letters about the administration were sent to every household in Dubbo, signed by Rex executive chairman Lim Kim Hai.

A meeting between airline officials and the council was scheduled for early next month but yesterday Rex revealed it would not be attending.

Dubbo Mayor Ben Shields told The Australian he remained “very keen to negotiate with Rex”.

“I’m humbled by the award for best regional airport, which would suggest we’re going down the right path,” he said.

Meanwhile, Rex has moved to become one of the largest airline pilot training providers in the country, with the acquisition of Singapore Technologies’ Aerospace Academy (STAA) at Ballarat in Victoria.

The academy has authorisation to train up to 168 pilots a year for Chinese carriers, and has accreditation with Australian, Chinese and Singapore regulators. Rex also operates its own pilot training academy at Wagga Wagga and executive chairman Chris Hine said the same high standards would be applied to STAA.