Is Rex Express Holdings going the begging bowl route again hoping the Australian Government will continue subsidizing its push to firmly establish itself in those commercially desirable major cities domestic-international air routes?

 

UPDATE: 

Sometime on the afternoon or evening of 30 July 2024 REX Express Holdings Limited appears to have informed the media it is going into "voluntary administration" - apparently before it notified the Australian Stock Exchange on which its shares are traded. 

It has made announcements of imminent doom in past years, ceased ticket sales, suspended flights or air routes when seeking a government bailout or an increase in monies received from a government industry funding scheme. 

Based on past behaviour receiving such financial assistance is no guarantee REX will not go ahead and abandon some regional airport destinations.

IMAGE: https://www.rex.com.au/flightinfo/network.aspx

Having built its Australian air routes by bullying regional councils & indulging in what looked suspiciously like corporate extortion at federal level, is the Singapore-based corporation operating REX Airlines, seeking yet another government bailout?

ABC News, 30 July 2024:

Rex Airlines' future uncertain in wake of ASX trading halt

Regional Australian airline Rex has suspended trading on the Australian stock market pending an upcoming announcement.

The ASX-listed company halted trade on Monday ahead of making an announcement dealing with a media report published over the weekend.

It is understood the announcement relates to a piece published in The Australian suggesting the airline has called in a turnaround team from consultants Deloitte.

The pause in trading is expected to remain in place until tomorrow or until Rex releases a statement to the market.

In a comment to the ABC, a spokesperson from Rex Airlines said the company was currently in an ASX trading halt "pending making a material announcement".

"In the meantime it isn't appropriate for us to make any further comments," the spokesperson said.

Transport Workers Union boss Michael Kaine said he had written to Rex as about 2,000 jobs were at risk.

"This is a sign that the aviation industry is broken, it's actually in crisis," he said.

"We're looking forward to hearing back from Rex as a matter of urgency, to try and get some more clarity on this situation.".

Government to 'work with' Rex

Asked whether the federal government would help keep Rex in the air if required, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said it was "an important airline" and he was "very hopeful that they'll see their way through".

"We have sought information from the airline through [Minister for Transport] Catherine King, who came to see me about this today … we will continue to monitor what happens there," he said.

"There are a range of communities in New South Wales, in Queensland, in South Australia and right around the country that rely upon Rex … so it's important," he said.

The prime minister said the airline had come through COVID and received substantial government support, "and we will remain vigilant when it comes to this airline and continue to work with them".

"We want to see not just those jobs maintained, but we also want to see those communities continue to have access to aviation that's so important for their economy and for their way of life," he said.....

The Australian, 27 July 2024, p.25:

Rex calls in turnaround specialists

Stories abound of instability in the nation’s aviation sector. Budget airline Bonza fell into administration in April. The mooted listing of Virgin Australia keeps faltering, and now Qatar Airways wants to gobble up a strategically important part of it.

And what of Regional Express? Its executive chairman, Lim Kim Hai, was hot-swapped in June for deputy chair John Sharp, a former transport minister in the Howard government. Lim had served as executive chairman for 21 years, and aside from brief remarks issued by the company acknowledging his “extraordinary service”, no further reason was provided for this sudden and startling tweak to the board.

Seething, as you would expect, Lim went on to requisition a shareholders meeting to remove Sharp and three other directors from the board: Lee Thian Soo, Ronald Bartsch and Jim Davis. No reasons were provided for that development either.

This upheaval is taking place just as Rex finds itself in a spot of serious financial bother, so serious, it seems, that Margin Call hears that the airline has invited a turnaround team from Deloitte to rifle through its books and try to stop the proverbial plane from crashing into the mountain.

Leading that team are Sal Algeri and Richard Hughes, memorable for their role in the recovery of Virgin Australia after that airline slid into voluntary administration in 2020. Deloitte didn’t respond to questions about Rex and Rex itself declined to comment. “Given Rex is a public company, we do not respond to press or market rumours or speculation,” a spokesman said.

Rex’s troubles are not necessarily with its regional routes, which are said to be profitable, but with its expansion into the prized city destinations of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, known in the industry as the Golden Triangle (a misnomer, by the way, the route connecting them forms no obvious triangle).

An expansion into those capital city markets began in 2020, its market share remains in the single digits, and the whole jolly has cost the business dearly. Deloitte’s partners are in a fever attempting a restructure solution as a rescue package. That too, we hear, is teetering towards failure.

Where to from here? Rex’s Golden Triangle dilemma could become intractable enough to push the airline into administration. Whether or not that occurs, the appearance of Deloitte’s clean-up team at least provides a plausible explanation for the airing of linen about to start in the boardroom.

After all, it was Sharp who said last year that profitability mattered more than market share, a remark made only after Rex posted a loss of $16.5m for the half to December 2022. Its latest results weren’t quite as fugly – a $3.2m loss for the half to December 2023....

AAP General News Wire, excerpt, 29 July 2024:

Rex reported a loss of $3.2 million for the first half of the 2023-24 financial year in February, compared with a $16.5 million loss in the prior period, saying escalating costs, particularly for fuel, made it hard to predict full-year profitability.....

The Australian, podcast, excerpt, 30 July 2024:

Anthony Albanese hails the importance of struggling Rex’s regional routes and promises to examine rescue packages, but questions the airline’s foray into competitive big city routes....

BACKGROUND

The Australian Stock Exchange 2024 announcement list re Regional Express Holdings Limited (REX) contained the following:

* 11.03.24 10:02.am ASX Release - REX announces partnership with UAE's national airline Etihad which entrenches REX passenger plane landing rights at Sydney and Melbourne airports as a connecting carrier of Eithad ticket holders.

* 06.06.24 8:33am Change to the Board - Deputy Chairman John Sharp ceases that board role & becomes Non-Executive Chairman. Kim Lim Hai ceases to be Non-Executive Chairman but remains a Non-Executive director & a significant shareholder in the company.

* 12.07.24 9:50am General Meeting of Members - Kim Lim Hai serves notice of a general meeting of members at which he will request the removal of six named directors as well as the majority of any directors that may have been appointed fron 5 May 2024 to the end of the general meeting.

* 29.07.24 9:50am Market Release - Pause in trade of Rex securities

* 29.07.24 10:17am Market Release - Trading Halt in Rex securities at own request until 31.07.24 and pending an announcement.

A LITTLE LOCAL BACKGROUND

North Coast Voices, 1 June 2022

Today REX Airlines began to abandon Northern Rivers regional airports - yet again

On 31 May 2022 Regional Express (REX) airlines confirmed that it was withdrawing airline services from Lismore and Grafton on 1 June 2022 and from Ballina on 2 July 2022.

At the same time it announced cessation of service to Kangarooo Island.

Very predictably this withdrawal again - as it has so often in the past - coincided with the cessation of federal government funding which heavily subsidizes REX.

The phrase 'shakedown merchant' comes to mind.

Rex Express walks away from its Clarence Valley airline route trying to blame others for its decision

“Rex will stand by all regional communities that have stood by Rex during this global and national crisis” [Rex Express Holdings Deputy Chairman and former Nationals MP for Hume, the Hon John Sharp AM, company media release, 29 April 2020]

Stirring words in that quote at the top of this post.

The facts on the ground are somewhat different.

It appears that Rex Express Holdings* directors Kim Hai Lim, John Sharp, Neville George Howell, Christopher Hine, Thian Soo Lee, Ronald Bartsch, James Davis and at least one senior company executive David Brooksby are so offended by having their company's begging letters actually answered with increased funding/concessions from Clarence Valley Council that they have decided to remove the Clarence Valley’s only commercial air link with the outside world.

Council’s financial assistance was in addition to Rex Express receiving nearly $24 million from the federal government’s $198 million Regional Airline Network Support Program (RANS) and $53.9 million from the $100 million COVID-19 Regional Airlines Funding Assistance Program.

According to Rex Express on 20 April 2020 the RANS program is to ensure “regional airline carriers will be provided assistance to maintain a minimal weekly schedule to regional and remote ports”. The COVID-19 Regional Airlines Funding Assistance Program is intended to assist airlines "to remain financially viable through the unprecedented downturn in aviationdue to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic".

Under revised RANS guidelines, Rex was eligible to receive funding to operate 2-3 return services a week to all destinations on the Rex Express network for up to six months. Rex’s application for the ports it wishes to provide services to has been approved and was signed off on 23 April 2020.

So it seems that the airline had a government funding offer to fly the Clarence Valley route until at least late September 2020.

So why did Rex Express spit the dummy and pull its Clarence Valley route commencing 3 July?

Admittedly Rex Express as airlines go is only a sprat in the aviation ocean, however it did turn a $17.5 million profit after tax in the 2018-2019 financial year and the board recommended an 8 cents dividend to shareholders.

Perhaps dropping Grafton Airport was because having a leg in again at Ballina Airport since early May 2020, the company board finds that market is more attractive.

Or perhaps it has more to do with the changed financial landscape created by the COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood that the profit & loss statement it will present shareholders at this November’s annual general meeting - given it stated an expectation of a $10 million a month loss due to reduced flights - will not be welcome.

Total passenger numbers and revenue had been falling in 2019 but the fall was quite marked in January-February 2020 – numbers fell by -4 % in January & -3% in February and revenue fell by -6% in January & -5% in February.

By 17 March 2020 it was reported that Rex Express was anticipating bankruptcy and on 26 March its ASX share price had dropped to 0.400. Share price has since recovered to 1.100 as of Friday 5 June.

The regional airline is also now facing increased competition on some routes from Qantas which is expecting competition from Regional Express in 2021. Rex wants to expand its own operations on competitive/commercially viable routes.

It is possible that Rex Express abandoning its flights into the Clarence Valley will not be the only route it is either jettisoning or downgrading and other low volume regional areas are in the firing line – they just don’t know it yet.

It may be that the fig leaf Rex is hiding behind – alleged hostility during one Clarence Valley Council debate of a motion – is meant to forestall panic in other regions this airline services.

Either way, I have lost count of the times Rex Express has threatened to withdraw or did withdraw its passenger services from airports in the NSW Northern Rivers region. In my personal opinion it is an airline that fails to impress.

Note

* Rex Express is reportedly 58% owned by shareholders in Singapore.

BACKGROUND

The Daily Examiner, 8 June 2020:

Seven-line email to council over ‘hostility’ the reason Grafton stunned by Rex king hit

The words used in a Clarence Valley Council meeting last week are the reason Regional Express airlines will cease flying into Grafton from July 3.

The airline made the announcement to cease flying via a letter to Clarence Valley Council general manager Ashley Lindsay on Thursday afternoon.

A spokeswoman for the airline confirmed to The Daily Examiner that the reason for the cancellation of the route was due to the comments made by councillors in a debate over whether they would provide a credit note for the airline.

When pushed on other reasons for the closure of the route, and whether Rex’s Lismore and Ballina routes would continue, the spokeswoman declined to comment, and said that further questions from The Daily Examiner had been forwarded for consideration.

The motion for providing Rex a credit note of $8908, which was to be used in January 2021, was passed by Clarence Valley Council 7-2 after a debate ensued on whether councillors questioned council supporting the airline.

However in the letter, the company has stated it has rejected the offer, despite asking for it in earlier correspondence.

Written by Rex airports manager David Brooksby, it opens by thanking Clarence Valley Council for offering Rex a rebate of $8908.

“Please note however that given the hostility of the councillors in relation to this matter, and following the call for Rex to ‘pull their finger out’, Rex will reject council’s offer. Full settlement has already been made last week,” the letter reads.

It concludes: “Please also be aware that Rex will cease all services to Grafton with effect from 3 July 2020.” Clarence Valley Council general manager Ashley Lindsay said the decision was “really surprising and disappointing”, and was seeking to talk to Mr Brooksby about the matter.

“Council received correspondence from Rex on March 19 and requested that council provide a 50 per cent reduction of the head tax from April 1 to December 31, 2020,” he said.

“Council in March resolved to give a reduction of 100 per cent unanimously. “We then received further correspondence on April 23 seeking a credit note over landing fees … that could used in January 2021 for their first lot of invoices.

“This was passed 7-2 … and it seems the ‘pull your finger out’ (comment from the debate), that’s what has offended them…..

Rex Express Chairman Lim Kim Hai likes to dish it out but does not respond well to even mild criticism

Grafton Airport in the Clarence Valley is predominately used by state authorities and local government. 

Rex Express is also the only commercial air passenger service into the Clarence Valley even if it is virtually only a skeleton service and, it is heavily subsidised by federal and state governments during the COVID-19 pandemic to the tune of at least $77.9 million.

ABC News, 16 October 2018

The executive chairman and largest single shareholder in Rex Express Holdings Ltd is Lim Kim Hai (left) and apparently at his instigation Rex is cutting Grafton Airport from its NSW routes from 3 July 2020 - allegedly on the grounds his feeling have been hurt.

This is the latest example of how this somewhat aggressive businessman responds to even the mildest of criticism of the company he heads.



The Daily Examiner, 13 June 2020, p.10:

Clarence Valley Council has called an extraordinary meeting to deal with the fallout from Rex’s shock decision to quit the region. 

In a report to be tabled at the meeting on Tuesday, council general manager Ashley Lindsay detailed correspondence he’d had with national airports manager for Regional Express, David Brooksby. 

“He advised that executive chairman Lim Kim Hai took great offence to Cr Novak calling on Rex to ‘pull their finger out’,” Mr Lindsay said. 

“Unless a public apology is provided by Cr Novak, he would not reconsider his decision for Rex to cease services to Grafton effective 3 July.” 

The move comes as Regional Express Airlines offered a little more on its decision to cancel the Grafton route with a message to councillors, the community and local media. 

“Council has chosen to discuss the Rex matter in open session and some councillors have voiced pejorative remarks about Rex with the full expectation that these remarks will be reported in the media,” the statement said. 

“As elected representatives, they need to know that their official statements will have consequences and they need to take full responsibility for these consequences. The community and the media should turn to these representatives for comments and their plans for the future.” 

The issue arose at the May council meeting when councillor Debrah Novak used strong language toward Rex while speaking against a motion to issue it a $8908 credit note for 2021. 

In response to those words, Rex announced it would cease services to Grafton from July 3. 

Ms Novak had since posted a statement via her Facebook page and spoken to media outlets, clarifying that her comments were underpinned with “no malice or contempt”. 

Ms Novak, whose post referred to other financial dealings and business decisions Rex has made in the recent past, suggested there was a cultural misunderstanding in part due to its foreign ownership. 

She said the term ‘pull your finger out’ was an “Australian colloquialism” that she had heard “most people use in my lifetime and in council”. 

“How locals or international people interpret what I say is not my responsibility and I will not be apologising.” 

Mr Lindsay in his report before the council said her comments in the previous meeting had fallen foul of council rules and the officer recommendation was for her – and the mayor on behalf of the council – to apologise to Rex and to Lim Kim Hai. 

“I have reviewed the recording of the meeting and I believe Cr Novak has breached Council’s Code of Meeting Practice during her debate on this item (6a.20.011),” he said. 

“Cr Novak’s commentary on REX and their board was contemptuous and in accordance with Clause 15.12 (c) of the Code of Meeting Practice Council can call on Cr Novak to “retract and apologise without reservation” to REX and in particular the apology should be to REX’s executive chairman Lim Kim Hai.” ......

A decision on the matter will be made in the meeting, at 1pm on June 16.

One has to supect the reason given for the airline's decision to withdraw services, when much harsher criticism was levelled at its business practices in The Australian newspaper on 27 May 2020:

"But the response did not satisfy Senator Sheldon, who wrote to ASIC chairman James Shipton requesting an investigation. He said the level of detail provided by Rex to the media could reasonably be expected to affect the share price. 

“Rex’s plans to expand into markets in direct competition with Qantas and Virgin, after having received a disproportionate share of government financial support, are inappropriate and exploitative,” wrote Senator Sheldon over the $54m paid to Rex out of a $100m regional aviation assistance fund. 

“Their failure to inform the ASX of these plans per the ASX listing rules flies in the face of Australian corporate standards. If Rex or any officer of Rex has contravened the Act, I further request that ASIC take appropriate enforcement action against them.”

The chairman does not appear to have overreacted to the NSW senator's comments as he has to the shire councillor's remark.

Lim Kim Hai is not adverse to hitting out at what he perhaps sees as easy targets and the following is a previous example of the Rex Express chairman's response to criticism:

Area News, excerpts from page one articles in 27 and 30 June 2012 newspaper
issues: 

# "A VISITING cardiologist has threatened to abandon his Griffith clinic because of "arrogant and offensive" treatment by Regional Express (Rex). 

Dr Charles Thorburn, who has been travelling from Sydney for more than 20 years to conduct an outpatient clinic at Griffith hospital, was so incensed with the declining service of the Griffith-Sydney flights he wrote a complaint letter to Rex chairman Lim Kim Hai. 

But in an extraordinary response from the Singapore-based chairman, Dr Thorburn was questioned and ridiculed, in a letter critics have seized on as evidence of Rex's contempt for its customers. 

"If, as you say, you find the conditions unsatisfactory, why did you accept them in the first place?" the letter, written on instruction by Mr Kim Hai, read. 

"I would be curious to know if you would reimburse any of your patients who do not get well after seeing you?" 

The chairman's goading continued after Dr Thorburn asked for data on how often the Sydney-Griffith flights were delayed or cancelled. "We are not providing you with the statistics you are requesting for (sic)," he said. 

"Perhaps in the medical profession you are used to dispensing information on how long you make your patients wait or how often you misdiagnosed." 

He went on to say Rex was "still much better than all the airlines in Australia and most of the airlines in the world". 

The exchange comes at a time when a new airline is poised to break the company's monopoly stranglehold on the city, set to operate the Griffith-Melbourne leg dumped by Rex this month. 

An incredulous Dr Thorburn said he was now seriously considering pulling the pin on his long-standing Griffith outpatient clinic. "If the service does not improve, I really need to assess whether I will continue to fly down to Griffith," he said. 

"I found the letter I received arrogant and offensive and quite extraordinary." 

He has since written to Rex board members individually to demand an apology and express his disgust at the treatment. Dr Thorburn's original letter was prompted by a chaotic return flight from Griffith on May 25....... 

# "Local leaders have demanded Rex issue an immediate apology to a visiting cardiologist rebuked by the airline’s chairman during a public relations crash-landing last week. 

Leading Sydney cardiologist Dr Charles Thorburn has threatened to boycott Rex and end his 20-year relationship with Griffith after a valid complaint letter to the airline’s Singapore-based boss was met with an “arrogant and offensive” response.....

BACKGROUND

Wednesday, 10 June 2020

Rex Express walks away from its Clarence Valley airline route trying to blame others for its decision

REX Regional Express Airlines walks away from its Clarence Valley airline route for a second time, yet again trying to blame others for its decision

“Rex will stand by all regional communities that have stood by Rex during this global and national crisis” [Rex Express Holdings Deputy Chairman and former Nationals MP for Hume, the Hon John Sharp AM, company media release, 29 April 2020]

Stirring words in that quote at the top of this post, however the reality was somewhat different for two regional communities on the NSW North Coast - Clarence Valley and Lismore City.

Lismore Airport services a city and population on the banks of the Wilsons River and is a gateway for both business travel and holidaymakers.

While Grafton Airport in the Clarence Valley is predominately used by state authorities and local government.

Having received financial assistance from Clarence Valley Council as well as nearly $24 million from the federal government’s $198 million Regional Airline Network Support Program (RANS), $53.9 million from the $100 million COVID-19 Regional Airlines Funding Assistance Program (RAFA), Jobkeeper workforce wage subsidies, and  unspecified funding through Australian Airline Financial Relief Package (AAFRP), Regional Express Airlines (REX) suddenly decided to cease flights into Grafton Airport on 3 July 2020.

Apparently it had decided it wished to expand its presence on other routes where it could compete with a pandemic-weakened Qantas Airlines.

It reversed its decision to abandon Grafton Airport in August 2020 – promising to operate return services three days a week, on Monday, Wednesday and Friday on a Sydney-Grafton Lismore route commencing 17 August 2020. 

Coincidentally REX's re-entry followed on the heels of negative publicity and media reports that Clarence Valley Council had begun looking for another airline to take its place.

Now seven months after its return, the predominately foreign-owned REX is withdrawing from its Sydney-Grafton-Lismore route as of 23 March 2021.

This time all but admitting that having milked the federal government for as much funding as it could, it was again abandoning both Grafton and Lismore just days ahead of the cessation of the emergency regional airline funding streams it had previously accessed.

In a media release dated 22 February 2021 REX stated:

Rex will, from April, commence new services to ports where Virgin Australia has retreated, leaving Qantas as the sole or dominant operator. The new services are from Sydney to:

 Coffs Harbour (330,000 passengers pre-COVID)

 Port Macquarie (190,000 passengers pre-COVID)

and will be available for sale from tomorrow.”

“Other routes under active consideration where Qantas is the sole or dominant carrier include:

 Sydney - Tamworth (175,000 passengers pre-COVID),

 Perth - Geraldton (110,000 passengers pre-COVID),

 Melbourne - Devonport (146,000 passengers pre-COVID), and

 Sydney - Canberra (930,000 passengers pre-COVID).”

“We will be launching services to these cities once a partnership agreement is concluded with the local councils or airport owners.”

“Our plans to commence domestic jet services on the Sydney-Melbourne route on 1 March are still firm barring further border closures.”

In another media release dated 1 March 2021 REX stated:

Adelaide and the Gold Coast as they have been chosen by Rex to receive domestic jet services just in time for the Easter rush.

Rex today announces that it will commence new services between Melbourne and Adelaide from 31 March, whilst the Gold Coast will receive services from Melbourne commencing 29 March and from Sydney commencing 1 April 2021…..

“I wish to thank both Adelaide Airport and the Gold Coast Airport who have worked tirelessly with us to make this happen in such a short time frame.”

One has to wonder how long the honeymoon will last for Coffs Harbour, Port Macquarie and Gold Coast airports and, whether airport managements realise just how many times REX will seek financial concessions from local government to keep flying these routes.

In the Clarence Valley the honeymoon is long over and personally I'm hoping we have finally seen the last of REX.

BACKGROUND

According to Regional Express Airline’s 2019-20 Annual Report its largest shareholders are:

MR KIM HAI LIM with18,998,346 fully paid ordinary shares – 17.25% of total shares issued

BNP PARIBAS NOMINEES PTY LTD with 16,234,094 fully paid ordinary shares – 14.74% of total shares issued

THIAN SOO LEE with 7,722,181 fully paid ordinary shares – 7.01% of total shares issued

JOO CHYE CHUA with 7,454,362 fully paid ordinary shares – 6.77% of total shares issued

MING YEW SEE TOH & HUI ING TJOA with 7,454,362 fully paid ordinary shares – 6.77% of total shares issued

MS HUI LING TJOA with 5,755,513 fully paid ordinary shares – 5.22% of total shares issues.