On November 9th, a Qantas Airbus A330-200 departed Australia for the last time as a passenger aircraft. The widebody made its way to Dresden via Singapore to undergo the conversion to an A330P2F. The jet is one of two Qantas passenger A330s that will be converted into dedicated freighters.

Aircraft and flight details

Departing Perth for Singapore as flight QF7531 on November 9th, the Qantas A330-200 registered VH-EBF then continued onwards to Dresden on November 10th under the same flight number. Interestingly, flight QF7531 began on November 7th when the jet departed Sydney for Melbourne. As if taking a farewell tour of southern Australia, the aircraft went from Sydney to Melbourne, then onwards to Adelaide, and then Perth as QF7531.

The aircraft is a little over 15 years of age at the time of this article's publication, and began its career with Qantas Group's low-cost subsidiary, Jetstar in 2007. After flying for Jetstar for eight years, the aircraft was then transferred to the Qantas mainline fleet and given the nickname "King Valley." Since 2015, the aircraft has been flying for Qantas with a configuration of 28 business seats and 243 in economy.

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Qantas' A330P2F plans

Back in December 2021, Qantas announced that it would be growing its Airbus freighter family with the addition of two A330P2Fs. The work was arranged through the Airbus-ST Engineering joint venture Elbe Flugzeugwerke (EFW). The deal came shortly after Qantas took the title of being the world’s first operator of A321P2F with three freighters. The A330P2Fs are slated to enter service from 2023 onwards.

As noted in an EFW statement, conversions are expected to take place in two locations: Dresden and VTMAE in Mobile, Alabama. Describing the process, EFW states:

"During the conversion, a comprehensive hardware and software reset is carried out, turning the aircraft into an efficient freighter power horse, which is able to carry up to 61t of gross payload on mid and long ranges."

Qantas' dedicated freight operations

Most of Qantas' dedicated freighters are actually operated by a separate firm by the name of Express Freighters Australia. The company is a subsidiary of the Qantas Group and currently operates a total of eight dedicated freighters. Whilst all of the aircraft in the Express Freighters Australia fleet are noted as operating for Qantas Freight, EFW notes that the three A321P2F freighters are dedicated to flying for Australia Post. Indeed, a separate release from Airbus shows the A321P2Fs sporting a Qantas tail as part of its livery, with the front of the fuselage having the Australia Post logo and wordmark.

The passenger-to-freighter market has seen a lot of activity in recent years, with carriers like Air Canada and Ethiopian Airlines converting their older jets for dedicated cargo operations. The airlines join several leasing firms in converting passenger jets into freighters, extending the service lives of aging passenger aircraft. Indeed, firms like EFW and IAI are being kept busy with this influx of conversion work.

Are you excited to see the Qantas Group add the A330P2F into its operations? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment.

Sources: Planespottesr.net, AIB Family Flights, EFW

• 

  Qantas

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  QF/QFA

  Airline Type:

  Full Service Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Brisbane Airport, Melbourne Airport, Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport

  Year Founded:

  1920

  Alliance:

  oneworld

  CEO:

  Alan Joyce

  Country:

  Australia