As Australian businesses enter the most demanding freight period of the year, StarTrack has confirmed that its Next Flight service will continue operating same-day and next-day deliveries right up to and including 24 December 2025. The announcement provides welcome certainty for B2B shippers relying on time-critical freight movements through the festive season.
Service Availability
StarTrack’s Next Flight service remains available for same-day and next-day deliveries throughout December, with full operations maintained through Christmas Eve. The service leverages StarTrack’s extensive air freight network, which spans more than 1,000 daily national flights connecting over 65 destinations across the country, supported by a depot network of 55-plus locations.
Road Express deliveries will continue to follow the standard StarTrack transit grid during the festive period. However, StarTrack has cautioned that delays may occur given the expected surge in freight volumes. Shippers using road services should factor in additional buffer time when planning deliveries for time-sensitive consignments in the final weeks of December.
Christmas Day operations are restricted exclusively to emergency health services collections. Normal operations resume on 26 December (Boxing Day), with standard scheduling returning across the network.
Key Dates and Deadlines
For businesses planning same-day deliveries on 23 and 24 December, StarTrack requires bookings to be placed at least 48 hours in advance. This pre-booking requirement applies to all customers except those operating under an existing on-demand agreement, who retain their standard booking flexibility.
StarTrack has urged all customers to lodge freight as early as possible in December to ensure timely delivery before the Christmas shutdown. The recommendation reflects both the general increase in parcel volumes during the festive period and the tighter operational windows that carriers face as the holiday approaches.
Capacity Preparations
The peak season pressure on StarTrack’s network is substantial. As Australia Post’s dedicated B2B logistics division, StarTrack operates within the broader Australia Post group, which delivered nearly 103 million parcels during the previous year’s Black Friday period alone. For the 2025 peak season, Australia Post has reintroduced weekend deliveries to manage the expected volume surge, a measure that flows through to improved capacity across the group’s operations.
StarTrack’s workforce readiness has also been bolstered by a new Enterprise Agreement secured earlier in 2025, which included an 11 percent pay rise for employees. The agreement is expected to strengthen retention and operational capacity at a time when reliable staffing is critical to meeting service commitments.
What This Means for Shippers
For businesses that depend on express freight during the busiest trading period of the year, StarTrack’s confirmation of continued Next Flight availability through Christmas Eve removes a key planning uncertainty. The combination of maintained air freight services, a strengthened workforce, and clear pre-booking requirements gives shippers a framework to manage their final December consignments with confidence.
The overarching message from StarTrack is straightforward: services are available, but early lodgement is essential. With carrier networks across the country operating near capacity through December, businesses that plan ahead and book early will be best positioned to avoid delays and meet their delivery commitments before the holiday break.