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FIFO operator National Jet Express (NJE) is adding two more Dash-8 Q400s to its fleet.
The airline, which currently operates 11 of the turboprops for mining and resources operations, has signed a letter of intent for the planes to join its stable this year.
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“These additional aircraft will take NJE’s fleet of Q400 aircraft to thirteen (13), across bases in Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane,” the airline said in a press release.
“The first additional aircraft will be delivered to NJE in Perth in September, with the second due for delivery in December of this year.
“The Q400 aircraft will operate alongside NJE’s fleet of eight (8) Embraer E190 jets to support the continuing growth of NJE’s presence in the Mining, Resources and Construction industries, as well as providing additional coverage during periods of scheduled aircraft maintenance.”
NJE has so far added two new aircraft to its fleet this year for Queensland and WA operations. The airline had added its tenth Q400 in September last year and its seventh E190 last March, and said the expanding fleet would support increased demand for resources contracts.
It comes after former Rex executive chairman and now NJE majority owner Lim Kim Hai signalled in April that he was looking to slash costs at the carrier amid the US-China trade war.
In a newsletter to NJE staff seen by The Australian, Lim, who bought the controlling share in the airline previously held by Rex before its collapse, said NJE would need to prepare for a decline in China’s need for resources “due to sluggish exports and a decline in domestic consumption”.
According to Lim, who owns 55 per cent of the company, this could lead to “shutdowns across parts of Australia’s mining industry” and would necessitate cost-cutting measures that “reach all levels of the company”.
“We need to brace ourselves for the worst and be prepared to fight the battle of our life that could determine the survival or otherwise of NJE,” he wrote.
“To do that, we must all get out of the business-as-usual mindset, especially the one inherited from the Cobham days when the response to all challenges was to throw money at it. Starting immediately, we will embark on a series of measures to improve productivity and efficiency.”
The company said it would set out to “reduce wastage in photocopying” and re-examine or replace some significant supplier contracts.
