The Australian regional air carrier Rex Airlines has bolstered its position in the domestic market and strengthened its training capabilities by acquiring a new Boeing 737 Full Flight Simulator (B737 FFS).
On June 10, 2021, Rex Airlines announced having purchased a B737 FFS from Boeing US Training and Flight Services. The new simulator will allow the air carrier to conduct Boeing 737 type rating training as well as to offer recurrent training and proficiency checks for the flight crew.
In the statement, the air carrier outlined that the new simulator can be configured for a number of variants of the Boeing 737 jet, including B737-800 and -700 as well as B737 Boeing Business Jet (BBJ).
Currently, the B737 FFS will be maintained by Ansett Aviation Training, the Brisbane-based pilot training facility. Froom 2023, it is planned to be relocated to the Rex‘s Simulator Centre in Sydney, where Rex Airlines will also offer some spare training slots for pilots of other Australian air carriers. In its statement, Rex Airlines outlined that its recent decision to purchase the B737 FFS “demonstrates its long-term commitment to domestic operations in Australia”.
Rex Airlines operates a fleet of 60 Saab 340 and 6 Boeing 737-800NG aircraft while its domestic and regional network consists of 61 destinations. The airline was supposed to expand the network by launching an additional route between two capital cities Melbourne and Canberra from June 18, 2021. But due to the ongoing pandemic and air travel restrictions in the country, the airline had been forced to delay the start rescheduling it on June 24, 2021.