Qantas eyes cutting 1000 office jobs in major artificial intelligence overhaul
The airline once fined $90m for illegally axing workers is now eyeing up to 1000 more job cuts as it races to embrace artificial intelligence.

News.com.au
August 4, 2026
Up to 1000 Qantas jobs could be taken offshore to India as the company accelerates the use of artificial intelligence throughout its operations.
The airline giant is consulting with Accenture on Project iQ and how to better use AI.
A decision on whether to outsource or cut roles in marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office jobs is expected later in the year.
A Qantas spokesperson told NewsWire the airline was “looking at ways to accelerate the use of technology and AI to help us modernise the way we work and deliver better outcomes for our customers and our people”.
“We have been exploring partnerships that have the capability to support us and are in early stage discussions with Accenture, but no formal agreement is in place and no decisions have been made,” they said.
In February, Qantas announced a flat first-half result, with statutory profit after tax of $925m, up $2m from the same time last year.
The airline will announce its full-year results in late August.
Qantas pointed to its recent job hires, including thousands of operational roles in Australia in the past few years, and a new technology hub in Adelaide, which will add 400 roles.
Australian Services Union assistant national secretary Scott Cowan said Tuesday’s reports were of huge concern and his organisation would fight for every job.
The Australian Services Union is demanding talks with Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson.
“What’s been reported today is that the airline is considering a proposal by Accenture, that’s not in dispute. What matters is that Qantas has informed that there is no plan to offshore any Australian jobs, and we demand the airline stay true to these commitments,” he said.
“If that commitment from Qantas turns out to be worthless, it won’t just be a broken promise to ASU. It will be a deep breach of trust with the Australian public who have stuck by this airline through everything it has put them through.”
The ASU said this wasn’t first time the union had to seek assurances from Qantas over its use of AI to justify axing staff.
“We are seeking an urgent meeting with Vanessa Hudson to ensure that this rapid AI push is used to support and augment our highly skilled workforce rather than being used as a hi-tech smokescreen for further job slashing and a reduced customer experience,” Mr Cowan said.
According to the ASU, Qantas has a documented history of outsourcing and offshoring Australian jobs.

Qantas previously outsourced ground-handling operations during the Covid-19 pandemic, a move later ruled illegal by Australian courts, resulting in a $90m penalty.
This impacted 1800 to 2000 workers who were made redundant and replaced by a third-party external supplier.