Qantas to Convert Some of Their A330s into Freighters Due to E-Commerce Demand, Receives new A321P2F

Australia, 7 December 2021 | Qantas announced that they will convert 2 of their Airbus A330 passenger jets into freighters to support the significant shift towards online shopping. One of the newly-converted freighters will be used in Qantas Freight's network, while the other will be used by Australia Post's domestic parcel and mail business.

The first of the A330s will begin conversion in late 2022 and is expected to operate in mid 2023, followed by the second in late 2023. The conversion is part of a joint venture between Airbus and ST Engineering (Singapore Technolgies Engineering)

To support this, Qantas Freight will also receive a new Airbus A321P2F later this week to provide additional capacity for the busy Christmas period. We wrote about this aircraft recently when it went for its test flight after conversion in Singapore.

Qantas CEO, Alan Joyce, said:

The conversion of the two widebody A330 aircraft would significantly increase capacity for both domestic and international flight. Our freight business has boomed during the pandemic and while some of that is temporary, COVID has accelerated the permanent expansion of eCommerce and online shopping in this country. That's why we're working with key partners like Australia Post to respond to this structural change and increase the amount of parcels that we can carry by air to ensure they arrive to people's homes as quickly as possible. The converted A330 aircraft for Australia Post will be able to carry around 50 tonnes of cargo each flight, more than double the capacity of other freighters operating for the national postal service.

Now you may ask, why choose the A330? Well, the A330 Freighter can carry up to 50 tonnes of freight, more than twice than of the A321 Freighter. It is also a more sustainable solution, with less air movements required for larger loads.

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Written by: Sohail Sawlani
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