The airline announced face masks would be compulsory on all flights from June 1.

People are to use their own masks and those without masks will have to purchase one at check-in.

Passengers who refuse to wear a mask will not be allowed to board a Rex flight, unless there are "exceptional reasons" for them to do so.

Rex national airports manager David Brooksby said the health and safety of passengers and airline employees was "paramount".

"As the country prepares to open the borders and lift the lockdowns, we need to be vigilant now more than ever to ensure that we prevent a second wave of infections which would cause untold economic damage and misery to all communities," Mr Brooksby said.

Rex will require people to wear masks at check-in counters, or to wear them immediately after purchasing them from the counter.

It will be mandatory to wear masks at boarding gates, during tarmac transfer both at boarding and disembarkation - including during bus transfers - and while on-board the aircraft.

Mr Brooksby said Rex had already introduced "significant changes" to help mitigate the spread of coronavirus.

These measures include testing the body temperature of passengers and Rex employees, as well as enforcing social distancing through seat allocation where possible.

"We thank our passengers for putting up with the inconvenience as an act of consideration for our staff and other passengers," Mr Brooksby said.