Qantas Freight and Australia Post have received the first of three additional Airbus A321 Passenger-to-Freighter aircraft for domestic parcel operations. The aircraft, which has begun flying from Western Sydney International Airport, will replace smaller BAe 146-300 freighters on the Australia Post and StarTrack contract and increase capacity ahead of the Black Friday and Christmas peaks.
Registered VH-XF7, the first A321P2F arrived in Australia in late September after previously operating for China Southern Airlines as B-6307. The aircraft has a payload of up to 24,200 kilograms, compared with approximately 10,300 kilograms for the BAe 146-300. Each A321 is capable of carrying up to 20,000 Australia Post and StarTrack parcels per flight.
The remaining two aircraft are scheduled to join the Qantas Freight fleet by March 2027. Once all three are operating, Qantas expects them to add up to 20% capacity to its dedicated Australia Post freighter network, while requiring somewhat fewer flights outside seasonal peaks.
The aircraft will serve Qantas Freight’s domestic terminals nationwide, including the 24-hour cargo terminal at Western Sydney International, which began operations in July 2026. The 24,000-square-metre facility is intended to support overnight and next-day parcel deliveries, with international cargo operations planned from the airport as early as 2027.
The converted aircraft took about 18 months to complete, including installation of a large cargo door, removal of the passenger interior and floor reinforcement for containers weighing up to six tonnes. National Jet Express has retired its BAe 146-300 freighters, while ASL Airlines Australia is due to end its remaining Qantas Freight BAe 146 operation on 30 October. Qantas Group and Australia Post have extended their freight partnership by a further 10 years.