QANTAS is introducing new freighter services and increased capacity in order to meet demand.
The Australian airline announced that, from 26 August 2024, it will launch new freighter services from Australia to Hong Kong, as well as to New Zealand, using its A321P2F and A332P2F aircraft.
Two return services will run from Sydney to Hong Kong per week, complemented by a weekly Perth-Hong Kong-Sydney service. These services will be operated by Qantas’ widebody A332P2F.
Five weekly rotations to New Zealand will also operate from Sydney-Christchurch via Auckland.
Four of these rotations will be operated by the more fuel-efficient A321P2F, including a new weekend service, and one will be operated by Qantas’ widebody A332P2F to support larger cargo shipments.
From 9 September this year, a Melbourne connection will be added to the schedule to optimise transhipment options.
The new services will become part of a larger picture of Australia-Hong Kong trade, as the two countries have a longstanding trade relationship.
In 2020-21, Hong Kong was Australia’s 13th largest export market, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Bilateral trade in goods and services between Hong Kong and Australia amounted to $11.1 billion for that year.
Hong Kong has Australia’s largest commercial presence in Asia, and Australia’s goods exports to Hong Kong in 2021 were valued at approximately $6 billion.
Australia is an important source of high-quality food and beverages for Hong Kong’s retail and hospitality sectors, with featured exports including include wines, fresh and chilled seafood, beef and pork, premium fruit, nuts, vegetables and dairy products.
The move from Qantas also comes as AirAsia Indonesia touched down in Cairns for the first time ever, expanding opportunities for tourism and trade in Queensland’s far north.
