Regional Express (Rex) has commenced nonstop flights between Adelaide and Port Augusta.
The inaugural service, operated by Saab 340B VH-ZLC, took off from Adelaide as ZL4412 a little after 0915 on Monday, landing at Port Augusta 50 minutes later.
The aircraft was on the ground for about 30 minutes before continuing onto Coober Pedy.
In July, the South Australian state government awarded Rex a route service licence to operate three flights a week between Adelaide and Port Augusta.
The announcement came after the Port Augusta community lost its air link to Adelaide in May, when Sharp Airlines ceased flights on the route, citing the extra capacity brought into the region with the arrival of double-daily QantasLink services to nearby Whyalla in 2015.
The flights operate as a Adelaide-Port Augusta-Coober Pedy-Port Augusta-Adelaide routing on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays. Rex said the service had been well received by the local community.
“Rex looks forward to building a strong partnership with the South Australian Government, Port Augusta City Council and the Port Augusta community to ensure we can continue to provide a sustainable air service for the long-term benefit of the region,” Rex network strategy and sales manager Warrick Lodge said in a statement.
