Qantas Freight faces two weeks of backlogs after IT system blackout
06 / 10 / 2023
Qantas Freight is facing a backlog of cargo that is expected to take as long as two weeks to clear after a system blackout in September.
The Australia-headquartered airline said that the blackout occurred on September 24 but it was still facing disruption at its stations in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.
The carrier warned it could be up to two weeks before normal operations can be resumed in Melbourne and Sydney and around seven days in Brisbane.
It’s not just Qantas shipments that are being delayed by the blackout, the carrier said that its stations also handle cargo for other airlines, and these shipments were also subject to delays.
“Terminal teams are working around the clock to process the freight backlog. At the same time, we’re trying to keep more recent freight arrivals moving through our terminals without delay,” the Qantas Freight said.
The airline said that it had deployed extra resources, worked 24/7, created extra airside staging and bulk delivery areas, spread distribution through the use of partner airlines, prioritised uplift and clearance of time-sensitive lifesaving, valuable and vulnerable freight and was stabilising its systems with multiple upgrades.
“We’ll be implementing further steps in the coming days including use of more third-party providers both on and offshore to expedite processes,” the airline said.
“We’re working hard to process your freight and clear the backlog but appreciate it’s not as fast as we’d hoped or as quickly as you’d expect.
“Our recovery timeline is dependent on the freight in our warehouse being collected as soon as possible, and for our major customers, we’ll be extending our open hours for collections to 24/7 where possible to provide maximum flexibility.”
The carrier said that any claims for delayed or damaged freight must be requested online and time limits apply.
Any storage fees which may apply due to delayed processing will be waived.
Earlier this week, the International Forwarders and Customs Brokers Association of Australia (IFCBAA) said there were instances of import cargo from flights arriving as far back as September 22 still not having been processed and made available.
The IFCBAA said there are reports that the carrier was facing issues identifying and releasing cargo due to the IT issues and there were examples of spoiled perishable products due to the backlog.
