Slated for completion in early 2024, the facility in St Peters near Sydney Airport will include up to eight full-motion simulators, as well as classrooms, cabin mock-ups with emergency equipment, and flight training devices.

Rex announced last week it was pulling out of its Adelaide–Whyalla route from 1 July after Council made the move to pass on the cost of airport security screening to airlines, which is estimated to raise ticket prices by around $40.

Captain Tony Lucas, president of The Australian and International Pilots Association, said the decision illustrates a failure of fleet planning over the last five years. 

The Flying Kangaroo said on Friday it will add one million seats to its overseas network over 12 months from October, and will target a return to pre-pandemic capacity by next March.