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July 14, 2020

Austrade Update – July 2020

IFAM extended, Qantas Freight remove change fees and air freight capacity available to Singapore and Los Angeles
We are pleased to announce that last week, the Australian Government committed an additional $241.9 million to continue the International Freight Assistance Mechanism (IFAM), helping keep international freight routes and flights operating until the end of the year.

Even though the IFAM is being extended, it’s important to remember it is a temporary, emergency measure in response to an extraordinary situation.

The extension will give Australian businesses more time to re-engineer their business models and adjust to a new and tougher trading environment created by COVID-19.

Qantas Freight remove change fees 
From 07 July 2020, Qantas Freight will be providing greater flexibility with confirmed bookings. Qantas Freight is removing the fees for changes made to confirmed bookings within 48 hours of scheduled departure. Cancellation or no-shows will continue to attract fees, so please make sure any cancellations are made at least 48 hours before departure.
Freight capacity available this week to Singapore and Los Angeles  
Singapore Airlines has freight capacity available on flights from Toowoomba (Fridays) and Adelaide (Wednesdays) to Singapore. Please contact your freight forwarder to access these flights.Qantas has freight capacity available on flights from Melbourne (Thursdays) and Brisbane (Tuesdays) to Singapore. Please contact an IFAM freight forwarder to access these flights, or any freight forwarder within 48 hours of departure to access these flights.

Virgin Airlines has freight capacity available on flights from Brisbane (Saturdays) to Los Angeles. Please contact an IFAM freight forwarder to access these flights, or any freight forwarder within 48 hours of departure to access these flights.

Current scheduled IFAM flights
The IFAM is currently supporting the following flights:

  • Adelaide to Singapore one way
  • Adelaide to Hong Kong one way
  • Brisbane to Los Angeles return
  • Brisbane to Singapore return
  • Brisbane to Tokyo (Narita) return
  • Brisbane to Auckland return
  • Brisbane to Cairns to Hong Kong return
  • Brisbane to Dubai one way
  • Melbourne to Kuala Lumpur one way
  • Melbourne to Los Angeles return
  • Melbourne to Tokyo (Narita) return
  • Melbourne to Singapore return
  • Melbourne to Hong Kong return
  • Melbourne to Abu Dhabi one way
  • Melbourne to Auckland return
  • Perth to Kuala Lumpur one way
  • Sydney to Tokyo (Haneda) one way
  • Sydney to Tokyo (Narita) return
  • Sydney to Dubai one way
  • Toowoomba to Hong Kong one way
  • Toowoomba to Singapore one way

Domestic links to connect with international IFAM freight flights:

  • Darwin to Brisbane one way
  • Hobart to Sydney one way

Please visit the IFAM webpage for the latest IFAM information and down the flight schedules (inbound and outbound) for all the latest flight details

Register your interest
Exporters should submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) and keep in regular contact with freight forwarders to access IFAM supported flights. Further information on how IFAM works is available on the IFAM webpage.
Supporting Australia’s response to COVID-19
Importers of medical supplies can access freight capacity on return flights from key destinations. Importers should contact their freight forwarder for assistance.There is capacity on the following inbound flights:

  • Auckland to Brisbane
  • Auckland to Melbourne
  • Hong Kong to Brisbane
  • Hong Kong to Melbourne
  • Los Angeles to Brisbane
  • Los Angeles to Melbourne
  • Singapore to Brisbane
  • Singapore to Melbourne
  • Tokyo (Narita) to Melbourne
  • Tokyo (Narita) to Sydney

Please visit the IFAM webpage for the latest IFAM information and download the flight schedules (inbound and outbound) for all the latest flight details.

Good news
Tuna takes to the skies
Tuna producers hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic – such as Prime Fish on the Gold Coast and the Ulladulla Fisherman’s Cooperative on the NSW south coast – are using the IFAM to rebuild supply chains with Japan and the United States.For more good news stories and the latest news from Austrade click here.
COVID-19 support for Australian businesses
We are working hard to help Australian exporters, big and small, overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19. For additional government support visit business.gov.auFor market insights and latest updates visit Austrade’s COVID-19 page