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FIFO operator National Jet Express has signed a lease for its 10th Dash 8-Q400 aircraft.
The new plane, to be registered VH-8QB (similar aircraft pictured), will be based in Adelaide to help grow the airline’s operations in South Australia, and has been leased from international aircraft lessor Avmax.
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NJE, which has continued to operate and expand despite parent company Rex Group entering voluntary administration earlier this year, expects VH-8QB to arrive in Australia and enter service within two weeks.
“NJE continues to see strong demand across the construction, mining, and resources industries around Australia, and we are actively sourcing additional aircraft for our Queensland, Western Australia, and South Australia operations,” said NJE’s interim COO, Robin Furber.
“NJE has made a conscious effort to invest in modern and fuel-efficient aircraft to support our FIFO operations, in stark contrast to the older aircraft operated by some of our competitors. Our customers tell us they highly value the comfort, environmental benefits, and reliability that come with operating these aircraft.”
The lease of a 10th Dash 8 follows NJE’s acquisition of a seventh Embraer E190 in March as part of continued fleet expansions; it had previously added its ninth Q400 last August.
The new Q400 will grow NJE’s South Australian Dash 8 fleet to three, with Avmax indicating more aircraft may be on the cards.
“On behalf of the Avmax Group, we congratulate NJE and welcome them as a lessee of Avmax Aircraft Leasing Inc (AALI),” said Steve Hankirk, Avmax’s CEO.
“NJE is our first DHC8-400 lessee in Australia, and we look forward to supporting them with additional regional aircraft and spare parts for their fleet.”
NJE has also been increasingly taking on Alliance in Queensland, with a major contract announced in May last year to provide services to BHP Mitsubishi Alliance in the Sunshine State. The first flights under the new contract took off in July of 2023.
Rex purchased NJE in 2022 for $48 million after the Flying Kangaroo announced a bid for the rival FIFO operator; that deal, though, was in April 2023 nixed by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, and both Qantas and Alliance walked away from it last October in one of the first major decisions for new CEO Vanessa Hudson.
Before it was forced to axe its capital-city jet operations after entering administration at the end of July, Rex briefly used NJE E190s to operate flights between Adelaide and Perth.
