Regional Express gets ready
Fri "The Australian"
Regional Express gets ready
By Steve Creedy
December 19, 2003
Former Kendell Airlines chief executive Geoff Breust is looking forward to taking on Qantaslink when he returns to his old stamping ground as the new boss of Regional Express.
Mr Breust, 53, takes over as Rex chief executive in January, six months after the departure of founder Michael Jones because of what he said was friction with shareholders.
Rex was formed last year by merging the remains of Ansett subsidiaries Kendell and Hazelton.
It employs more than 560 staff and flies 18 Saab 340 aircraft and seven Fairchild metro 23 planes to 29 regional centres across south-eastern Australia.
Mr Breust said yesterday the work done by the airline's Singaporean investors to restructure the company had left it well placed for the future.
"It's very early days and I have to get into it and examine every aspect of it," he said.
"But from what I can see they've turned the corner in terms of getting it into a viable shape.
"They've put in place a management team - they've been very cautious about doing all of that - and I think they've got a team of people here who understand what the right philosophy and approach is."
A well known aviation industry figure with 15 years of senior regional airlines management under his belt, Mr Breust said the competitive landscape had changed significantly since the days of Rex precursors Kendell and Hazelton.
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