Domestic Carrier Digs In Its Heels, Establishing Own Trading Facility After Leaseback Loggerheads

Rex, the “largest independent regional and domestic airline” in Australia, stood its ground in a beef with international but somehow surprisingly Australian Ansett Aviation Training, deciding to move their expensive, spiffy 737 sim to a new facility instead of selling it off.

The tale is interesting - or as close to interesting as drama in the aviation training industry goes - as the Rex Level D FFS, a Boeing 737NG, UPRT-approved model, had spent its life at an Ansett facility in Brisbane, Australia. Its term of residence expired in 2023, and Ansett Aviation Training refused to extend its term with a new contract. Rex says that they were only given the option of selling the simulator to Ansett, or de-installing it and making the costly trek to facilities elsewhere at a not-inconsiderable cost. From the sound of it, they fully expected Rex to sell offf the asset and be on their way, but Rex says they “chose not to give in to coercion, and began construction of its own purpose-built simulator centre next to Rex Head Office at Mascot, Sydney”.

It's always nice to see someone dig their heels in during negotiations, particularly when they opt to take the principled, expensive, and difficult approach. Rex General Manager of Flight Ops and Chief Pilot, Paul Fisher, commemorated the opening of the sim in its new home, saying “It is pleasing to see the FFS being commissioned on schedule in its new location and flying better than before due to new hydraulic and electrical components installed.”

“This is an important milestone in supporting the growth of our 737 fleet and clearly demonstrates the commitment of the Rex Board and Management to safety by investing in this critical piece of training infrastructure. As well as adding synergies to our own training requirements the simulator also provides training opportunities for external operators both inside and outside of Australia."

FMI: www.rex.com.au