Qantas Freight has been announced as the exclusive airfreight partner to carry Van Dairy’s fresh milk from Tasmania direct to China.
The Australian airline will launch direct flights from Hobart, Tasmania, to Ningbo, China, in the first half of 2017, carrying around 50,000 litres of fresh milk to be distributed in Ningbo and Beijing.
The weekly flights may increase in frequency depending on demand, and will open up export opportunities for Tasmania’s fruit, vegetable and seafood exporters, according to Sean Shwe, managing director of Van Dairy’s parent company Moon Lake Investments.
“There is a huge demand for fresh milk in China and the key to satisfying that demand is having a reliable freight partner with an established freighter network, infrastructure and support in China and expertise in handling fresh produce – Qantas provides that,” said Shwe. “Establishing this trade bridge is an exciting venture for our dairy company, Van Dairy who produce Van milk, and opens the door for access for other Tasmanian producers of fresh, perishables such as seafood, fruit and vegetables to air freight their produce on this direct flight to China.
“It will be a game changer for Tasmania, and we are proud to be leading the charge.”
The new service will add to Qantas Freight’s forty flights a week to China, including five dedicated freighter aircraft services carrying fruit, vegetables, dairy, seafood and meat. Qantas also offers freight space on its 42 return flights each week on the Sydney to Beijing service, beginning in January 2017.
