The Great Australian Milk Run: A Rex Airlines Adventure

Regional airline operations often involve flying smaller turboprop aircraft on shorter routes, serving remote communities which rely on air connectivity to survive. There is, however, one route in Queensland, Australia, that takes this model to a whole new level. Let’s take a closer look at the Regional Express Airlines (known as ‘Rex’) operation from Brisbane to Mount Isa.

A unique flying experience

For the average traveler, the thought of spending the best part of a day flying on a noisy 30-seat turboprop aircraft that makes six intermediate stops before it finally delivers you to your final destination must sound like nothing short of a never-ending bad dream. However, for others, the opportunity to undertake such an adventure holds a certain allure on a route unlike any other.

Operated by Rex Airlines, the Queensland ‘milk-run’ flight operates between Brisbane, the state capital of Queensland, and the remote township of Mount Isa, best known for its local industry involved in the extraction of natural resources.

Setting off on another Queensland multi-leg milk run. Photo: Rex Airlines/ Rex

The operation is a feat of endurance for both the aircraft used and its crew, taking passengers from the urban sprawl of Brisbane, through several small farming communities, before arriving at the remotely located town in Northern Queensland.

Rex operates this vital service twice weekly in each direction, using one of its fleet…