Qantas will transfer 850 Australian corporate positions to Accenture as part of a strategic push to modernise its IT infrastructure and accelerate AI adoption.
In an internal email to staff on Tuesday, CEO Vanessa Hudson acknowledged the decision, stating, “This is difficult news for some of us, and I’m sorry for the uncertainty it creates.”
The rollout will commence in mid‑2027, affecting finance, procurement, human resources, and marketing functions that will be shifted “mostly” to Indian teams, with a smaller contingent remaining in Australia, as Qantas works to modernise its core IT systems.
Hudson emphasized that the rapid pace of technological and AI advancement challenges the airline, and she has been engaged in discussions with unions and employees to shape the transition.
The announcement follows a recent market update from Qantas, which highlighted rising fuel costs and subsequent fare adjustments and flight reductions.
Under the new multi‑year partnership with Accenture, the airline aims to modernise its IT infrastructure to achieve greater operational efficiency.
Qantas allocates more than AU$1 billion annually to technology, and the company noted that its legacy back‑end systems require substantial upgrading.
She added, “Like any airline, we rely on technology developed over years that was never intended to function as a unified system, with more than 1,000 legacy applications that cannot operate together.”
The agreement with Accenture involves redesigning and streamlining corporate functions to eliminate redundancies, enabling staff to focus on activities that drive customer and business value.
The company indicated that, over time, the work overseen by Accenture will be transformed further through automation and AI integration.
Staff impacted by the cut will be redeployed where feasible, including the creation of new positions within Australia.
Qantas, which employs roughly 28,000 people in Australia and an additional 4,000 worldwide, noted that thousands of its employees already incorporate AI into their daily operations.
The BBC has contacted the Australian Services Union for comment.
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