Boeing 737 -8EH 39604 4160 VH-8ZL Rex Regional Express delivery 11dec23 GYR-OGG ex N3960D

B738 VH-8ZL has just left NAN and has a revised arrival time in BNE of 16:22 AEST this afternoon. Does anyone know whether the aircraft has been painted in REX colours as yet?

All white

8ZL ferried to MEL this morning as ZL9973. Entering service today as ZL234/243

8ZL due to head to Wagga today bound for the paint shop

RQG's last day with Rex is the 29th of Feb on return to lessor. Been told heading to TSV to be painted white then stored in Alice Springs. Last flights are on the 25th ZL118/129

Additional 3 737s
 

Rex have announced today an additional three aircraft are coming, and a small loss, in he latest asx announcements.

I'm assuming these three will be 737s as well? Any idea of where they're coming from?

Three 737-800s from Singapore I believe

-8ZL is now painted in the usual REX livery with the more earthy orange paint on the tail.

As has previously been mentioned the next 3 frames are coming from SQ and at this stage it’s 9V-MGC, D and E, these are coming up for their 10year lease.

RQG off to ASP today for Storage

With all the action locally happening with 738BCF/SF demand I wonder if we will see her back in Oz post conversion?

See i heard multiple things for RQG.

Originally was to become a freighter, now i've been told by engineers that it's to be scrapped in Alice Springs

I’d be surprised if she is scrapped unless there is some sort of major problem, given lease rates for an 18yr old 737-800 have been rising from a low of 125K a month in Q4 21 to a high of $180k in Q4 23. Freighter rates are dropping from a high if $220K in q4 21 to a low of $180K in Q4 23 or parity with the pax version, which might explain the reluctance to convert now. RQG is not 18 but close enough.

RQG was deleted from the VH-Reg on 24/04/2024 as "Cancelled - No longer to be used as an aircraft", scrapped.

Might be for spares, not unheard of that youngish airframes are being stripped of useable parts and scrapped, given with the current shortages of spare parts and new parts.

Rex has announced two new routes: Perth (finally!) to both Melbourne and Adelaide.

Melbourne will be a 5x weekly service (not operating on Tuesdays or Saturdays) with B737 from 28 June. Adelaide will be a 3x weekly service (Monday, Friday and Sunday) using a NJE E190, also from 28 June.

Both media releases here:
https://rex.com.au/MediaAndPressClip...st.aspx?y=2024

Following RQG, does anyone have any insight into what the next 737s to be retired will be? I'd assume the other older -8FEs (PAG, RQC, RQP, etc.) would have their leases expire fairly soon.

Is there also any word on where the next two 737s to be introduced will come from? I believe REx mentioned there are two more on order.

There’s every chance that the fleet will just be grown but if it was to be a one for one replacement with two in and two out you would expect RQC and RYU to go as they are significantly older than the other three ex VA birds.

To put it into a bit of context RYU was VOM, RQC was VOP, REX was VUU, PAG was VUV and RQP was BZG which was the last aircraft delivered in red from memory

Adding to Zac above.

A frames age is not the only determining factor with regard to retirement.
Other factors may include; lease cost, running cost (fuel & parts), spares availability, down-time (repairs), cycles, flight hours, time/cost of next major service ....

I expect would have a spreadsheet somewhere with these factors and more being calculated every time a new lease operator knocks on the door.

Rex’s balance sheet is not healthy enough to court lease companies.