Australian regional airline Regional Express (Rex) announced last month that it will offer a 25-percent reimbursement of training costs to new pilots who agree to stay with the airline for at least two years. The announcement comes in response to a “severe pilot shortage [that] has resulted over the last four months in massive disruption to Rex’s operations,” according to John Sharp, deputy chairman of Regional Express Holdings. To further combat the  shortages, Rex and Mangalore Airport announced last month the creation of a pilot training academy at Mangalore Airport, Victoria. Students will graduate with a commercial pilot license, a multi-engine rating and a command instrument rating within 32 weeks, according to Rex.