Qantas Freight Adds A321 Converted Freighters for Australia Post Ahead of Holiday Peak

Qantas Freight has taken delivery of the first of three additional Airbus A321 converted freighters it will operate for Australia Post, adding capacity weeks before Black Friday and the Christmas shipping peak. The three aircraft will add up to 20% capacity to Qantas's dedicated freighter network, carrying up to 20,000 Australia Post and StarTrack parcels per flight, the companies said Monday. The remaining two jets join the fleet by March. The additions give Australia Post nine dedicated A321s, all converted passenger aircraft reconfigured by Elbe Flugzeugwerke, an Airbus and ST Engineering joint venture. Qantas Freight currently operates eight A321 cargo jets, six dedicated to Australia Post. The newest aircraft will be based at Qantas Freight's new terminal at Western Sydney International Airport, which opened in July. Under a 10-year contract extension signed last summer, Qantas Freight will also operate two A330 medium widebody freighters for Australia Post and reserve space on passenger aircraft for the postal operator. The A321 freighter has struggled to replace aging Boeing 757 conversions as expected; conversion orders have fallen short, and Lufthansa Cargo has abandoned the aircraft. Industry consensus holds the A321 suits high-frequency e-commerce routes carrying lightweight packages, while Boeing 737-800 conversions are better for general cargo.