Qantas Freight (XME, Sydney Kingsford Smith) will induct up to three A321 P2F-converted freighters as part of an expanded domestic and international air freight agreement with Australia Post.
According to a joint statement, the seven-year agreement is valued at over AUD1 billion Australian dollars (USD679 million) and will give Australia Post access to Qantas Freight’s fleet of dedicated freighters aircraft and priority access to bellyhold space onboard Qantas and Jetstar Airways passenger flights.
The three A321-200(F) freighters, for which Qantas Freight is the type's launch operator, are due to enter the fleet in October 2020. they will, however, be operated on its behalf by fellow Qantas Group subsidiary, Express Freighters Australia (QE, Sydney Kingsford Smith).
“Australia Post plays a critical role connecting Australian businesses and communities to each other and the rest of the world, and with the continued growth in online shopping, we can now take it to new heights,” Christine Holgate, CEO and Managing Director, Australia Post, said in a statement.
“This agreement will further boost our unrivalled, dedicated air freighter network with newer aircraft and more capacity right up until the opening of the new Western Sydney Airport in 2026."
“The enhanced air freighter network complements AUD900 million (USD611 million) in investment across our network through automation and infrastructure, and provides the speed, flexibility and reliability customers expect."
Qantas Freight wet-leases in its freight capacity which, the ch-aviation fleets advanced module shows, currently consists of two B747-400(FSCD)s wet-leased from Atlas Air, four B737-300(F)s, one B737-400(F), and one B767-300(F) all wet-leased from Express Freighters Australia, four BAe 146-300(QT)s wet-leased from JetEx (JTE, Adelaide), and one B757-200(PCF) wet-leased from Pacific Air Express (Australia) (PE, Brisbane Int'l).