New Zealand aviation company Airwork intends to launch a cargo airline in Australia at the end of the month.

Airwork plans to fly freight across Australia for listed logistics company Toll Holdings Ltd, using three Boeing 737 aircraft, two of them based in Brisbane and another in Perth, the aircargonews.net website reported.

Airwork managing director Hugh Jones declined to say how much the contract is worth.

Toll managing director Paul Little said last November that Australian low cost carrier Virgin Blue, which Toll controls, would play a pivotal role in the company’s air freight strategy.

Toll was to have purchased dedicated aircraft for Virgin Blue, and even confirmed in February that it expected to soon conclude a freight alliance with Virgin Blue.

But Mr Jones said Virgin Blue was not involved in the venture.

Airwork has extensive freight, charter and helicopter operations in New Zealand, and owns a stake in Australian charter airline Alliance Airlines, which operates a fleet of 100-seat Fokker 100s from its base in Brisbane.

Airwork NZ is run from the company’s central office at Auckland’s Ardmore Airfield, and it has bases at Auckland International Airport, Wellington, Timaru and Christchurch Airports.

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