Airway

What Airway does

Airway is an Australian air cargo solutions provider operating across four integrated service pillars: domestic air and road freight (including priority, overnight, off-peak, and perishable handling), cargo terminal operations for domestic and international airlines, General Sales Agent (GSA) representation for major carriers, and wholesale airfreight handling services for import and export. The company runs licensed airside infrastructure at 7 major Australian airports plus Auckland, including chillers, freezers, Enhanced Air Cargo Examination (EACE/RACA) screening equipment, and a state-of-the-art Vapour Heat Treatment (VHT) facility that enables phytosanitary-compliant agricultural exports, an estimated 285 tonnes of Northern Territory mangoes per season. Supporting technology includes electronic freight processing, barcode scanning, integrated airline cargo systems, and the MyAIRWAY customer portal for quoting, booking, and real-time tracking.

Airway serves three primary customer segments: airlines (Qantas, Virgin Australia, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Air Canada, and Cathay Pacific Cargo as named GSA and terminal customers), freight forwarders requiring accredited import/export handling, and primary producers such as Northern Territory mango growers exporting perishable goods to Asia. Revenue is generated through managed services (terminal operations, wholesale handling), professional services (GSA mandates), and transaction fees on freight movements; pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed.

Founded in 2010 as Pak Fresh Handling and rebranded to Airway in June 2023, the company is a wholly owned subsidiary of Seaway Group. In July 2024, Airway acquired Network Express to strengthen its Western Australian presence and domestic cargo volumes, signaling an active inorganic growth posture. Headcount is reported in the 101-250 range, and the company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds or revenue figures.

Name

Airway

Legal name

AIRWAY

Website

https://airway.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Airway is an Australian air cargo solutions provider operating cargo terminals, General Sales Agent representation, wholesale handling, and domestic air/road freight across 7 Australian airports and Auckland for airlines, freight forwarders, and primary producers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Air Cargo Logistics Services

NAICS

Support Activities for Air Transportation (4881)

SIC

Airports, Flying Fields & Airport Terminal Services (4581), Arrangement Of Transportation Of Freight & Cargo (4731)

akta.pro primary industry

Ground Handling (Ramp, Baggage, Turnaround) (THABAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Air Freight Brokerage (TLADAMAE)

Keywords

• Air cargo services
• Freight forwarding
• Cargo terminal operations
• Perishable air freight
• Cold chain logistics

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Cargo Terminal Operations: Provides cargo terminal operations for domestic and international airlines at major Australian airports, including ground handling capabilities and airside warehousing infrastructure.
2. General Sales Agent (GSA) Services: AIRWAY represents major carriers as a GSA, providing specialized cargo marketing and sales services across Australia and New Zealand to maximize returns for airline partners.
3. Wholesale Airfreight Handling: Specialized import and export handling services for freight forwarders, providing accredited facilities and licensed operations for cargo handling.
4. Domestic Air and Road Freight: Comprehensive air freight options including priority/same-day service, perishable handling, overnight air freight, and road freight solutions. Revenue generated through freight transportation fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Airway provides integrated air cargo solutions across Australia and New Zealand, comprising four service pillars: (1) Domestic Air/Road Express & Perishable freight including priority/same-day, overnight, off-peak, and road freight; (2) Cargo Terminal Operations for domestic and international airlines with airside warehousing; (3) General Sales Agent (GSA) services representing major carriers for cargo marketing and sales; and (4) Wholesale Airfreight Handling Services for import/export at 7 major Australian airports with licensed customs, EACE/RACA screening, and Vapour Heat Treatment facilities. Customers include major airlines, freight forwarders, and primary producers.

Product overview

AIRWAY is a comprehensive air cargo solutions provider offering an integrated portfolio of services across Australia and New Zealand. The company operates as a unified platform comprising four core service pillars: Domestic Air/Road Express & Perishable (including priority, overnight, off-peak, and road freight options), Cargo Terminal Operations (handling both domestic and international cargo for airlines), General Sales Agent services (representing major carriers for cargo marketing), and Wholesale Airfreight Handling Services (specialized import/export handling at 7 major airports). The ecosystem is supported by MyAIRWAY, a digital customer portal for booking, quoting, and tracking. Two acquired brands—Pak Fresh Handling (rebranded 2023) and Network Express (acquired 2024)—have been integrated into the portfolio, extending AIRWAY's perishable handling capabilities and Western Australian express freight operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Domestic Air / Road Express & Perishable Comprehensive suite of air and road freight options for door-to-door and airport-to-airport services across Australia, including Priority/Same-day, Perishables (Australia's largest domestic perishable air freight provider), Overnight, Off-peak, Road freight, Express Road with barcode scanning, Road General, and Direct Drive solutions. Designed for businesses and shippers needing time-critical or perishable cargo handling.
• Cargo Terminal Operations Cargo terminal operations for domestic and international airlines featuring national airside warehousing infrastructure including chillers, freezers, screening equipment, and ground handling capabilities. Provides retail consignment acceptance, high-performance handling, and integration of airline cargo systems at major Australian airports.
• General Sales Agent (GSA) Specialized cargo marketing and sales services for major airline carriers across Australia and New Zealand, offering market data and analytics, airline cargo system integration. Offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, and Auckland support carrier representation for airlines including American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, and Air Canada.
• Wholesale Airfreight Handling Services Specialized airfreight handling services for import and export across Australia, operating in 7 major Australian airports with DAWF accreditations, ABF Customs Depot 77G License, Enhanced Air Cargo Examination (EACE/RACA) X-Ray, Metal Detection, and Explosive Trace Detection, licensed airside operations, and Vapour Heat Treatment facilities for phytosanitary compliance.
• MyAIRWAY Portal Customer-facing digital portal enabling businesses to streamline freight requests, access competitive pricing from multiple carriers, generate quotes, create consignment notes, and monitor shipments in real-time with 24/7 customer support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 285 tonnes of mangoes exported per season from Northern Territory
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Network ExpresscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 July 2024Network Express, with over 30 years in the air freight industry, was acquired by AIRWAY. They bring expertise in time-critical express freight movements nationally and internationally, along with comprehensive systems and technology. The acquisition strengthens AIRWAY's presence in Western Australia, boosts domestic cargo volumes, and expands service offerings along the West Coast.
• Cathay Pacific CargocoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIRWAY works with Cathay Pacific Cargo on a weekly mango export service from Darwin direct to key international markets including Asia. This partnership supports local Northern Territory growers during mango season peaks.
• Seaway GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAIRWAY is a Seaway Group Company. The parent company relationship provides strategic direction and corporate governance for the air cargo business.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Menzies Aviation: One of the world's largest air cargo and ground handling operators with significant presence across Australian airports, directly competing with Airway for airline cargo terminal and GSA contracts in the same geography.
• dnata: Emirates-owned global ground handling and cargo services provider operating across major Australian airports (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane); competes directly for airline handling mandates and cargo terminal business.
• Swissport: Global leader in airport ground services and cargo handling, with historic Australian operations competing for the same airline cargo terminal and ground handling contracts that Airway services.
• Toll Group: Major Australian logistics provider offering air freight forwarding and handling services; overlaps with Airway's freight forwarding and domestic air/road express capabilities across the same ANZ customer base.
• CEVA Logistics: Global logistics and freight management company with air freight operations in Australia; competes for freight forwarder handling volumes and air cargo services in the same regional market.

Broad incumbents

• DHL Global Forwarding: Global air and ocean freight forwarder with extensive operations across Australia and New Zealand; competes with Airway on freight forwarding and air cargo, but operates at much larger scale with a broader service portfolio.
• FedEx: Global express integrator offering time-critical air freight services in Australia through its own air network and ground operations; competes with Airway's domestic express and perishable capabilities from a much larger asset base.
• UPS: Global parcel and freight integrator with air operations into and out of Australia; overlaps with Airway on time-sensitive shipments and air freight, though UPS's scope extends well beyond Airway's regional niche.

Others

• Qantas Cargo: Airline cargo division of Qantas and one of Airway's largest customers; while currently a client, Qantas Cargo's own operations represent an in-house alternative to Airway's terminal handling services.

Regional players

• Pacific Air Express: Australia-based air freight specialist focused on domestic and trans-Tasman time-critical shipments; competes with Airway on domestic air freight and perishable handling across the Australian market.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/airwayaustralia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Airway