Opinion: Is underdog Rex ahead of the curve?

As Rex purchases a minority stake in electric planemaker Dovetail, bigger Aussie airlines are running the risk of missing the boat.

Regional airline and domestic challenger Rex announced in April that it had secured a 20 per cent stake in emerging electric planemaker Dovetail Electric Aviation, marking the latest in a string of announcements highlighting the regional airline’s commitment to an electric future.

Rex announced its initial “strategic partnership” with Dovetail in mid-2022, which will see the two companies join forces to convert Rex’s Saab fleet to electric propulsion with Dovetail’s engines. Specifically, the two will work to “develop and certify” the retrofitting of electric engines onto legacy regional aircraft, which Dovetail says could shave years off the timeline involved in engineering and certifying a brand-new electric-powered aircraft. Rex Deputy Chairman John Sharp revealed in the following days that the two could “power on” the first converted-electric Saab for test flights as soon as 2024.