The service, subject to regulatory approval, is expected to launch within 12 months and will permit small cats and dogs in selected rows on specific domestic routes. Pets must be in approved pet carriers stowed under the seat in front, and will not be allowed to roam freely or sit in laps.

The Rex subsidiary will fly Dash 8-400NG aircraft on its second route servicing the coal mining town in the state’s north, complementing its services between Moranbah and Brisbane, which had been its first Queensland route when it entered the state in July last year.

In an internal memo to Virgin staff obtained by Australian Aviation, outgoing CEO Jayne Hrdlicka said the airline had made roughly $236 million in profit off the back of $2.8 billion in revenue in the six months to December 31, and had carried nearly 45 million passengers since it left administration.

The judge made the damning criticism of the airline after Theo Seremetidis directed cleaning staff to steer clear of aircraft that had recently returned from Covid-19 hotspots in 2020.