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Australia's aviation authority has granted Rex permission to fly Boeing 737-800 aircraft, paving the way for it to push into the Melbourne-Sydney flight market.

Regional Express Airlines has been given the green light to fly jets between Melbourne and Sydney, setting the scene for it to challenge Qantas, Virgin Australia and Jetstar in the lucrative market.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has issued Rex a high capacity air operator's certificate, allowing the carrier to start 737 jet operations between the two major cities in March.

The Sydney-based airline, which pre-COVID operated Saab 340 aircraft on 1500 weekly flights, will use its new fleet of six Boeing 737-800s to fly nine daily return Melbourne-Sydney flights.

With 54,102 flight departures annually, the route was rated the world's second-busiest in 2018 and Rex also plans to fly to other major cities.

The Australian aviation industry has been plunged into financial turmoil by the COVID-19 pandemic, with Qantas cutting 6000 jobs and Virgin Australia axing its low-cost offshoot Tigerair.

In launching domestic operations along the popular route, Rex said it would offer employment to some of the thousands of aviation workers made redundant by other carriers.

Executive chairman Lim Kim Hai described the Civil Aviation Safety Authority's commitment and dedication to the recovery effort as "nothing short of outstanding and exemplary".

"CASA has gone above and beyond to ensure that the aviation industry is fully supported by the regulator in all aspects," he said in an ASX statement on Wednesday.

"CASA's assistance was critical at a time when all airlines were fighting for survival."

Rex is offering 100,000 tickets at $79 for the flights between Melbourne and Sydney.