Regional Express (Rex) today dismissed Virgin Blue's claims (Border Mail, 13 May), that its Embraer jets are better able to handle the fog at Albury than competing turbo prop aircraft, as a clumsy marketing attempt.
Rex's Chief Pilot and General Manager Flight Operations, Mr Chris Hine said, “The fact of the matter is that our Saab 340 aircraft are able to handle the fog at Albury as well as the Embraer 175. We use satellite technology and ground based navaids in the same manner that the jets do at a regional airport like Albury. Any extra equipment they may have on board gives them no advantage over us when there is fog or low cloud.”
Mr Hine added, “As a publicly listed company, we cannot allow our competitors to make inaccurate and irresponsible statements about our products and services without setting the record straight. However, we agree with their statement that they are not able to divert to nearby regional airports in such cases. Rex also services Wagga Wagga and we have in the past been able to successfully divert to nearby Corowa and Wangaratta and provide a short bus service for our passengers to Albury.”
“Furthermore, Rex services Albury 4 times per day from both Sydney and Melbourne and we could usually accommodate passengers on subsequent flights without much delay.”
Rex is Australia’s largest independent regional airline operating a fleet of 38 Saab 340 aircraft on more than 1,200 flights weekly to 23 destinations from Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide. The Rex Group comprises Regional Express, air freight and charter operator Pel-Air Aviation and Dubbo based regional airline Air Link, as well as the pilot academy Australian Airline Pilot Academy.
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