BAE SYSTEMS EXTENDS LEASES OF BAe 146 FREIGHTERS FOR AUSTRALIAN AIR EXPRESS

Australian air Express, a joint venture company owned by Qantas Airways Ltd and Australian Post, has further extended its leases on three BAe 146QT (Quiet Trader) freighters from BAE SYSTEMS Regional Aircraft.

The leases have been timed to coincide with the renewal of the contract to operate the aircraft between Adelaide-based National Jet Systems Pty Ltd and Australian air Express. The contract follows a partnership arrangement that has existed since 1990. This latest extension makes it one of the longest running contract periods in the Australian air freight industry - 20 years in total.

The aircraft - two Series 300s (E3194 and E3198) - and a Series 100 (E1002) operate overnight cargo services predominantly between Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane, carrying 20 million kilograms of general freight, perishables and mail annually.

The BAe 146QT operation carries more than 36 percent of the total Australian air Express uplift with an on-time performance consistently approaching 100 percent. The two Series 300s, based in Adelaide and Brisbane, each carry up to 11.5 tonnes of freight, while the BAe 146-100QT, based in Cairns, carries 7.5 tonnes.

Not only do the BAe 146QTs provide significant freight capacity, their ultra-quiet operation means that they can fly overnight throughout eastern Australia and comply with the Sydney Airport Curfew Act and the curfew in Adelaide.

National Jet Systems also operates a fleet of BAe 146-100, 200 and 300 passenger aircraft for Qantas Airlink.