It appears that the nastier side of domestic aviation competition rumour mill may be under way with according to a 2GB report, Rex is vehemently denying claims reported in News Corporation publications recently that Rex is seeking to employ foreign pilots to fly its domestic routes, which are in direct competition with other carriers.
On 2GB, Rex Deputy Charmain John Sharp slammed reports that he said, falsely suggested Rex is seeking to recruit foreign pilots to fly new domestic routes, with Mr Sharp saying the story “is completely and utterly false.”
He added, “The pilots we are employing are all ex-Virgin, Tiger and Qantas pilots who have lost their jobs … in the last few months as a result of the pandemic,” and, “All the people we’re employing are not coming from overseas.” He added, Rex Airlines will employ 400 Australians who have lost their jobs due to the pandemic during the course of 2022.”
The company also said that all the pilots and flight attendants Rex has employed for its new 737 aircraft, mainly former Virgin Australia aircraft, are former Virgin Australia, Tiger and Qantas employees, adding, “Rex is not seeking to employ foreign pilots for its domestic operations, nor is it entitled to do so under the conditions of a Labour Agreement entered into with the Commonwealth in 2019,” adding, “If any airline should get credit for recruiting and training Australian pilots, it is Rex.”
The airline also said, “Rex, unlike the two major domestic carriers, has invested heavily in pilot training academies, in Wagga Wagga and Ballarat, and a cadet program that provides young Australians a chance to develop a good career in aviation”.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
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