DEALS QANTAS will set aside six planes for exclusive use by Australia Post and its parcel delivery offshoot StarTrack to help service the growing numbers of consumers shopping online. 
The freight planes, featuring StarTrack livery, will be used exclusively by Australia Post to deliver mail and packages around the country as part of a $500 million contract signed between the two companies in 2015.
It comes four years after Australia Post bought Qantas out of StarTrack, then called StarTrack Express, in a $408 million deal.
Qantas had owned half of the parcel delivery company.
"This builds on the strong relationship that has existed between the national carrier and the nation's postal service since 1922 when Qantas first started flying airmail," Qantas chief Alan Joyce said.
Mr Joyce said the service, to launch in   July, would add to the companies' existing freight agreement, which allows Australia Post to send freight across the Qantas passenger network.
Five of the planes will come from Qantas' existing fleet while the sixth will be a new Boeing 737-400 that is yet to be delivered.
Australia Post chief Ahmed Fahour said the move came amid growing demand for online shopping."This is great news for local businesses, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and all eCommerce companies," Mr Fahour said.