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The chief commissioner of the ATSB has moved to calm concerns about Rex’s Saab 340B fleet after a pair of high-profile incidents last week.
Speaking to ABC Radio in Adelaide, Angus Mitchell confirmed that the ATSB is investigating an exhaust fire on Wednesday and a mid-air engine shutdown on Saturday, both on Rex flights to Broken Hill, but said they did not necessarily indicate a wider problem with the airline’s fleet.
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“We do see a lot of occurrences involving aircraft that are flying long distances frequently. For example, the Boeing 737-800s are among the most commonly investigated due to their high usage,” he said.
“We look at trends over time – two weeks of incidents don’t necessarily indicate a long-term problem. When you look at Rex over the past ten years, the proportion of incidents is in line with other operators like Qantas, Virgin, Jetstar, and Alliance, when scaled to their operations.
“That’s not to downplay engine failures – they are serious and that’s why we investigate them.”
According to Mitchell, the ATSB has investigated over 245 occurrences in the category of high-capacity air transport, which includes all major airlines, over the past decade.
“Of those, we’ve investigated around 40. All were handled without accidents or injuries,” he said.
“That’s the good news. Things can and do go wrong – engine failures happen across all types of aircraft. What’s important is how they’re handled.
“In both of these Rex incidents, they were handled appropriately by the pilots. That’s a key part of our investigations – how the situation was managed in real time.”
Mitchell’s comments followed concerns expressed by Tom Kennedy, mayor of Broken Hill, who said his community was at risk of losing trust in the airline.
“It will have a negative effect on people, a negative effect on the airline, and it really casts doubt over the long-term viability of Rex Airlines. If regional Australia loses Rex Airlines, it’ll have an impact right across the country,” he told the ABC.
“The reality is the Rex air fleet is ageing, and people are losing confidence in it. To have two incidents in a week—anyone who’s already concerned about flying just won’t fly with Rex.”
The regional airline currently has a fleet of around 57 Saab 340Bs with an average age of over 30 years, which has proven a barrier to a potential sale from administration.
A report this year from Airservices Australia found that the average age of planes operating non-capital routes is around 24 years, nine years older than planes on capital routes.
