Virgin Australia establishes Virgin Australia Cargo

The airline will launch its own cargo division starting July 1.    Virgin Australia will launch Virgin Australia Cargo July 1. Doing so will allow the airline to actively compete in the domestic and short haul international cargo market, Virgin Australia Group Executive Merren McArthur said in a statement.
   Virgin Australia Cargo will focus on both reliability and price and will utilize a modernized IT system to provide tracking and reporting to customers.
   The airline will continue its partnership with Virgin Atlantic for cargo capacity on Virgin Australia’s long-haul services.
   Virgin Atlantic currently has a partnership with Toll Group to carry Toll’s cargo on the belly space for domestic, Trans-Tasman and the Pacific Island market, which will expire at the end of the month.
   Qantas announced it has secured a five-year agreement with Toll Group as a new freight customer. In addition, the airline will continue to be the exclusive carrier for Australia’s mail and parcels, extending its partnership with the Australia Post through 2020.
   Qantas operates 13 dedicated freighters – four B737-300CF, four BaE146, two SAAB 340s, two B747-400Fs and one B767-300F.