New Zealand Post has announced that it, through its courier arm Express Couriers Limited (ECL), will introduce three Boeing 737-400 freighter aircraft to carry parcels and packets for overnight delivery around New Zealand.
The aircraft are expected to be fully in service from May 2016. They will replace a fleet of one 737-300 aircraft and two ageing Fokker F27 Friendships.
New Zealand Post’s Chief Executive, Brian Roche, stated that the new aircraft are faster and will provide greater volume capacity and reliability, which he said was important for New Zealand Post in a growing market for express parcels and packets.
“With more people shopping online than ever before, the demand for overnight parcel delivery has grown and this will continue. These aircraft will help to future-proof our network, giving New Zealand Post the ability to support our customers’ service requirements and meet the growing market for the next 10 to 15 years,” said Roche.
The new fleet is also expected to provide operational cost savings for New Zealand Post and avoid further significant change over at least the next 10 years.
The aircraft will be leased and operated by a company set up as a joint venture between ECL’s current airline services supplier, Airworks Flight Operations Ltd, and Fieldair Holdings Ltd, Freightways’ subsidiary and current airline services company. The aircraft capacity will also be used by Freightways and will expand the existing inter-island load sharing air freight agreement between the companies.
