The Land Newspaper:
Rex faces testing times for pilots
The major NSW regional air carrier Regional Express (Rex) Airlines has indicated it may have to cut services from the flow-on effect of the 457 visa changes. Rex says it is forced to bring in skilled pilots because it's own trained pilots are being poached by other airlines.
Rex Chief Operating Officer, Neville Howell, said that the 457 scheme allowed airlines to fill the void when pilots were poached, allowing their survival. "Rex is still obliged to recruit overseas as the rate of poaching by the larger carriers is simply staggering" he said.
The new changes will strip aeroplane pilots and aircraft maintenance engineers from the allowable four-year list.