Rex Airlines will launch new Boeing 737 flights between Melbourne and Perth to run five days a week, as the airline continues to encroach on the market share of Qantas and Virgin.
According to the latest data from Statista, approximately 4.46 million domestic overnight visitors travelled to Perth in 2023, the second-highest number of domestic travellers to the capital of Western Australia since 2019.
The new service from Rex Airlines will add close to 90,000 seats to one of the nation’s busiest routes, which is expected to benefit trade and tourism between the two cities.
“We are delighted to be bringing our Boeing 737 fleet to Perth, connecting more Australians with friends, colleagues, and loved ones, and we look forward to welcoming all on board,” said Warrick Lodge, Rex’s general manager of network strategy.
Rex further said more airlines competing on the route will benefit customers.
The new service will offer fares from $299 for return flights in economy, and $999 for business class.
Additionally, the new route will be Rex’s 11th domestic service flown with its Boeing 737 fleet, ever since it began encroaching on the “Golden Triangle” of Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, as well as other destinations like Adelaide, Canberra, Hobart, and the Gold Coast.
“This is fantastic news for Victoria, having direct flights between Melbourne and Perth with Rex will create local jobs, increase our capacity on a key flight route, while bringing more visitors to our great state,” said Victorian Government Minister for Jobs Nathalie Hutchines.
While Western Australia’s Deputy Premier Rita Saffotti said the entry of Rex would boost state tourism.
“We always love welcoming Victorian friends to the west coast, so this is a fantastic announcement for tourism and our local industry here in Western Australia.”
According to the Ministry of Tourism in Western Australia, tourism contributed 110,800 jobs and $13.2 billion to the state’s economy in 2022-2023.
Whereas the Ministry of Tourism in Victoria said 89.2 million tourists visited the state in 2023 from domestic and international points of origin.
Earlier this week, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) raised concerns that domestic flight travellers going to regional destinations would have fewer options following the collapse of start-up airline Bonza.
According to the most recent Domestic Airline Competition in Australia report, 4.9 million domestic passengers travelled with Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, Rex, and Bonza last March, reflecting 98.8 percent of the passenger levels recorded in March 2019
