Rex changes its services to and from King Island

Regional Express (Rex) has announced a major restructuring of its Victorian and Tasmanian flight networks in response to a challenging operating environment driven by soaring fuel prices. The changes, set to take effect next month, will see the removal of triangular routes in favour of dedicated, direct services—a move that local leadership has welcomed as a significant structural win for the island community.

The direct connection between King Island and Burnie will officially cease operations from **20 June 2026**. In its media release, Rex noted that both of the impacted routes are currently serviced by alternative airlines. Local operations will be picked up by existing carriers to ensure mainland Tasmanian access remains intact.

As part of the network overhaul, Rex will completely decouple the existing Melbourne to King Island and Melbourne to Burnie routes starting  20 June 2026. Instead of shared multi-stop flights, the routes will operate entirely independently of one another.

Following the separation of the routes, capacity will be allocated via direct flights:

King Island: Melbourne to King Island will receive 7 direct return services per week.

 Burnie: Melbourne to Burnie will be upgraded to 18 direct return services per week.

The network restructure extends beyond the Bass Strait. Rex also announced it will reduce the number of weekly services between Melbourne and Mildura. Frequencies will drop from 24 return services down to 19 return services per week, taking effect from 22 June 2026.

 Mayor Blackie Welcomes "Win-Win" Rebalance

Despite the loss of the direct Burnie leg, King Island Mayor Marcus Blackie strongly endorsed the restructuring, framing it as a strategic victory that secures dedicated capacity for residents and visitors.

> "Changes just announced by Rex will increase direct dedicated seat capacity for King Island passenger’s ex Melbourne and with the efficiencies created, enable better airfare pricing and more connection friendly times," Mayor Blackie said. "This is the good news we’ve been waiting for and a commendable achievement for Rex, given current fuel price and network pressures."

The Mayor highlighted that Sharp Airlines retains additional direct flights and capacity going back into Tasmania, which he noted "will more than replace those KI-Burnie Rex seats, bolstering Sharp operations and cargo carry versatility."

Looking ahead, local government and airline management are already eyeing future expansion once the initial schedule stabilizes. Mayor Blackie stated that the council plans to collaborate with Rex to secure surge and additional services ahead of the peak spring-summer travel rush, alongside a push to revitalize community fares once the broader fuel crisis pressures ease.

"We have certainly entered a positive new era and mutually beneficial growth partnership with Regional Express," Blackie added. "I feel this win-win rebalance is a good foundation that we will soon build on with demand driven growth."

Rex has stated that all passengers currently holding bookings impacted by these network changes will be supported throughout the transition.