Rex makes good on Dubbo threat

Dave Parer 4 — Rex is taking capacity out of Dubbo and putting it into Wagga. (Dave Parer)

Regional Express has followed-through on its threat to withdraw services from Dubbo after the airport elected to charge the airline security fees even though it was not legally required to use the services.

Rex announced it will reduce its 82 weekly flights between Sydney and Dubbo to 73 from April. Wagga Wagga has been the beneficiary of the freed-up capacity.

Dubbo City Council has demanded Rex passengers be screened and to pay charges of approximately $9 per departing passenger, which equates to an annualised cost of $300,000 “for a requirement that is only legally applicable to QantasLink Q400-operated services”, according to Rex.

Rex said it “will continue to redeploy its Dubbo resources over the next few years whenever suitable opportunities present themselves”.