Swedish aerospace and defence group Saab says it has won an order from Australian regional airline Regional Express for the lease of 25 new Saab 340Bplus aircraft.

Saab said in a statement that Rex had steadily expanded its 340 fleet and was now one of the largest operators of the plane in the world with about 30 aircraft.

Rex is Australia's largest independent regional airline.

It operates services linking regional destinations to Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and carries over 1.2 million passengers annually on over 1,100 flights each week.

Saab Aircraft Leasing manages a portfolio of about 200 Saab 340 and Saab 2000 aircraft leased to 25 airlines.