Qantas will outsource 850 corporate jobs to consulting giant Accenture, with most positions relocating to India as the airline prioritises artificial intelligence and modernisation of its technology systems. The airline's chief executive, Vanessa Hudson, disclosed the plan in an internal email to staff on Tuesday, describing it as "hard news" and acknowledging "the uncertainty it brings". The job cuts will start from mid-2027, beginning with roles in finance, procurement, people and marketing functions that will shift "mostly" to India and "some" to Australia.
Hudson said the company recognises that "the scale and speed of change in technology and AI is something none of us has seen in our lifetime". The airline is in consultation with unions and staff regarding the plans. The move is part of a broader effort to redesign and simplify corporate functions, reduce duplication, and allow remaining staff to focus on work that creates value for customers and the business. Qantas spends more than AU$1bn, equivalent to US$691m or £514m, annually on technology, according to Hudson's statement. The airline currently operates with more than 1,000 legacy applications that were never designed to work together, making system upgrades necessary.
The multi-year contract with Accenture centres on redesigning Qantas's IT infrastructure to become more efficient. Hudson noted that work transferred to Accenture will be "transformed further with automation and AI" over time. The airline employs approximately 28,000 staff in Australia and a further 4,000 globally. Staff affected by the job cuts will be redeployed "where possible", including into new roles created in Australia, the company said.
The announcement arrives shortly after Qantas provided a market update flagging fare increases and flight reductions due to elevated fuel costs. The company stated that thousands of its existing staff already use AI tools in their daily work, indicating that technology adoption is already underway across the organisation.