Qantas Freight welcomes first B747-8F to fleet
Qantas Freight has welcomed the first of two Boeing 747-8 Freighters to its fleet, to be operated by Atlas Air. The aircraft, which touched down in Sydney yesterday (Tuesday 27 August), offers 20% more freight capacity and space for seven extra cargo pallets compared to the 747-400F. Paul Jones, executive manager of Qantas Freight says: […]
Qantas and Australia Post support e-commerce growth
Qantas and Australia Post have expanded their domestic and international airfreight agreement to ship parcels to benefit online shoppers and businesses. The seven-year agreement worth over A$1 billion will give Australia Post customers access to Qantas Freight’s freighter aircraft and priority access to cargo space on Qantas and Jetstar passenger flights in additional to partner […]
Qantas Freight to replace 747-400Fs with 747-8Fs

Qantas Freight will lease two Boeing 747-8 Freighters, offering greater capacity and replacing older 747-400Fs. The 747-8Fs are expected to enter service in July 2019, carrying cargo between 10 key hubs in Australia, China and the US. They will replace the two 747-400Fs operated by on Qantas’ behalf by Atlas Air and will be painted […]
Singapore Airlines launches THRUCOOL for high-value pharma

Singapore Airlines has launched THRUCOOL, a service to transport high-value, time-sensitive and temperature controlled pharmaceutical cargo with speed and reliability. THRUCOOL offers dedicated cold chain services to safeguard the integrity of pharmaceuticals and healthcare shipments, including priority uplift and handling, quick ramp transfer at airports, cold room facilities, as well as thermal blankets and covers […]
Qantas Freight to connect Darwin with Hong Kong

Qantas Freight will launch a seasonal freighter service between Darwin and Hong Kong, providing exporters with easier access to Asian markets. The new services, which will be the only direct link between the Northern Territory and Hong Kong, will provide capacity to carry up to 50 tonnes of fresh produce including chilled meat, seafood, dairy, […]
Air cargo hinges on perishables and e-commerce growth
Perishables and e-commerce remain key growth sectors for the Australasia trade as the demand for fresh produce, seafood and meat in Asia continue to drive volumes out of Australia and New Zealand, while inbound e-commerce continues its unabated growth, writes Donald Urquhart. For Australia’s dominant home carrier, Qantas, Asia remains key to its cargo growth. […]
Kangaroo Route’s giant leap opens up express cargo opportunities
Qantas’ direct services between Perth and London could open up opportunities for freight customers, particularly for e-commerce, the airline says. The historic flight, number QF9 carried more than 200 passengers and 16 crew, with the Boeing 787-9 leaving Perth, Western Australia just before 7pm on Saturday evening and landing in London at 5am on Sunday […]
Strong business at Qantas Freight driven by Asia and the US
Asia and the US are the most buoyant trade lanes for Qantas Freight and the main focus for the Australian carrier. Qantas Freight executive manager, Alison Webster says both are in high demand across its freighter and belly network, while services between Sydney and Auckland are also very strong. Domestically, Webster says the busiest lanes […]
Qantas and Sai Cheng sign deal to fly Chinese airmail to the US

Qantas Freight has entered a one year agreement with Sai Cheng Logistics International to fly airmail weekly out of China to the US. Sai Cheng is a joint venture company between Australia Post and China Post to provide integrated logistics solutions for Chinese customers to overseas markets including Australia, New Zealand, Asia, the US, Europe […]
Qantas flies sailplanes inside a Boeing 747
Qantas has flown all kinds of items since it was founded over 90 years ago, but until recently it had never transported another aircraft, now it has flown two. It loaded two Jonker JS3 Rapture sailplane gliders into the hold of a passenger Boeing 747-400 and flew them from Johannesburg to Sydney for their onward […]
Qantas Freight to fly Tasmanian milk to China
VAN Dairy has chosen Qantas Freight to be its exclusive airfreight partner for transporting fresh Tasmanian milk to the Chinese city of Ningbo. Qantas Freight will carry more than 50,000 litres of milk on a Boeing 767-300 Freighter from Hobart to Ningbo, subject to government and regulatory approval. The service will be weekly to start […]
Strong growth on Asian lanes for Qantas Freight

Free trade agreements signed in Australasia are leading to strong growth from Australia and New Zealand to Asia for Qantas Freight. The carrier’s executive manager, Alison Webster tells Justin Burns it is seeing particularly strong demand for fresh produce and dairy products. But Webster notes along with these uplifts, Qantas is finding it tough in some […]
Qantas Freight and Australia Post extend partnership
Qantas Freight and the Australia Post Group have extended their international mail air freight agreement for another five years. This agreement sees Qantas Freight handles 12,000 tonnes of mail and parcels out of Australia each year. The Australia Post Group is the nation’s largest user of airfreight services, and the international contract builds on the five-year […]
FAA bans recalled lithium battery shipments following Note 7 fires
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has banned cargo shipments of recalled or defective lithium batteries and lithium battery-powered devices following the recall of Samsung Galaxy Note 7s. Samsung is recalling Note 7s following a number of battery fires around the world, with airlines advising passengers not to turn on or charge the devices on board […]
Qantas Freight EBIT falls 44% in tough market
Qantas Freight says business is well positioned for the future despite EBIT falling by 44 per cent in the 2016 financial year due to a tough market and weak yields. Earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) for cargo was down to 64 million Australian dollars ($48.8 million) in the 12 months up to 30 June […]
Qantas Freight adds Dallas to China – US round trip
Qantas Freight has added Dallas Fort Worth to its weekly round trip connecting Australia with China and US. The Boeing 747-400 Freighter service will stop in Dallas from 9 June, and then every Thursday after that. Qantas says the Dallas stop will be ideal for bringing electronics, e-commerce and general cargo into the USA from […]
Qantas transports poppies for Chelsea Flower Show

Qantas Freight has transported 300,000 commemorative poppies for the Chelsea Flower Show to honour servicemen and women who have fought in wars, conflicts and peacekeeping operations over the last 100 years. The 300,000 handcrafted crocheted poppies were transported from Melbourne to London, and packed and loaded into 35 cubic metres of bellyhold space, approximately half […]
Qantas Freight and Australia Post to operate freighter fleet
Qantas and Australia Post are to operate a dedicated domestic freighter network to be used exclusively by Australia Post and StarTrack customers – which is being started to focus on e-commerce and the express freight market. The network will consist of six freighter aircraft featuring StarTrack livery, with continued priority access to cargo space in the Qantas […]
Qantas Freight EBIT falls as group improves
Qantas Freight’s earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) fall to 38 million Australian dollars ($27.3 million) in the six months up to 31 December 2015, despite the group seeing significant improvements. The cargo division’s EBIT was down from 54 million Australian dollars in the same period of 2014 due to global weakness causing revenue to fall […]
Qantas returns koalas from Singapore to Australia

Qantas has transported four koalas back to Brisbane after their 10 month stay at Singapore Zoo where they were on loan from the Australian government. The koalas, Paddle, Pellita, Chan and Idalia stayed in Singapore from April 2015 on loan from Australia to celebrate Singapore’s 50th anniversary of independence and 50 years of diplomatic relationships […]