Air Transport Services Group, Inc. announced it has commenced a new wide-body freighter service for Qantas Freight between Australia and New Zealand, and for DHL between Europe and Africa.

ATSG said its subsidiary Air Transport International (ATI) is scheduled to begin providing wide-body ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) service for Qantas Freight between Australia and New Zealand under a twoyear agreement starting 15 June.

ATI’s Boeing 767-200-SF will allow Qantas Freight to maintain overnight wide-body freight service and capacity between Sydney, Auckland, and Christchurch four times a week. The ATI aircraft also will be available for charter work and weekend rotations as needed.

Executive manager Qantas Freight, Stephen Cleary said the operation would enable Qantas to retain wide body freight capacity on the route following the introduction of the Qantas Group’s new trans-Tasman passenger schedule.

“The Tasman is one of Qantas Freight’s most important markets and the investment we have made in this new operation reflects the value of our long standing relationships in both countries,” Cleary said.

“The trans-Tasman market, particularly express consolidators and perishable exporters, relies on wide body airfreight services. For customers in NZ, the service will allow easy through connection with our extensive passenger and freighter fleet into Europe, the US and Asia, including mainland China and Japan.

“For the first time customers in Christchurch will also have access to main deck freighter capacity, he added.

Meanwhile, ATSG’s subsidiary, ABX Air has begun providing air charter service six days a week for European Air Transport NV/SA, a DHL affiliate, between Brussels, Belgium, and Lagos,Nigeria from late May.