Updated August 4, 2026 — 9:42am,first published 7:49am
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Qantas is considering outsourcing up to 1000 roles to India as part of a deal with consulting giant Accenture that looks to harness the power of artificial intelligence.
The airline on Tuesday confirmed it was in discussions with Accenture over an outsourcing deal and it would consider shifting jobs in marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office positions. The Australian Services Union, however, said it had been told by the airline that no job losses were being considered.
The potential deal involving up to 1000 roles was first reported by The Australian Financial Review, but Qantas did not confirm how many jobs could be affected.
Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson has stressed the growing importance of the use of technology at the airline.Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Qantas spokesperson said 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.” The changes are part of a plan called Project iQ.
“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.”
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“We have added thousands of operational roles in Australia in the past few years, including pilots … and engineers, and will hire thousands more over the coming years,” the spokesperson said.
A final decision on the plan has not been made, a spokesperson said. Accenture referred questions to Qantas.
The airline is seeking to harness AI to increase efficiencies and cut costs. In February, Qantas and the Australian Services Union clashed over job security amid a round of job cuts linked to new technology used at the airline’s Sydney headquarters.
In May, at a media roundtable, chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the company had no limits in how it was considering using AI.
“I don’t think it’s the right thing to only think about the value that AI can give is only through headcount reduction,” Hudson said, who added that the technology can help drive better selling techniques in the channels “that our customers want to shop in”.
In aviation, AI is useful in anticipating the maintenance needs of planes, which allows for a more efficient fleet usage. It is already integrated into the Airbus Skywise predictive maintenance system used by Qantas and Jetstar.
A final decision on the plan is expected this year.Louise Kennerley
“In terms of the amount of use cases that we see for AI right now…We’ve got more use cases than we think that we can actually execute on in the short term,” Hudson told the media.
“We’re very excited about what AI does, but…it’s not accurate to just think about it through the lens of head count.”
“AI can deliver a lot of value in other ways.”
The Australian Services Union says Qantas told it there are no plans for jobs to be lost under a potential deal with Accenture. Nevertheless, the ASU is calling on Qantas to commit to genuine consultation with affected workers before any final decision on Project iQ.
ASU Assistant National Secretary Scott Cowen said today’s reporting is a huge concern to the union’s members.
“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,” Cowen said.
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“If that commitment from Qantas turns out to be worthless, it won’t just be a broken promise to the 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,” he said.
The ASU said Qantas has a history of outsourcing and offshoring Australian jobs. Any move to replace skilled head office staff with automation or AI will damage the airline’s operational capacity, the ASU said.
“We will fight to protect all Australian jobs at the airline. We’ll be watching closely, and we’ll work tirelessly to ensure that Australian consumers can rely on the high-quality services, provided by the Qantas workforce here at home,” Cowen said.
Early last year, the airline opened a new product innovation centre in Adelaide to better design the digital experiences of airline customers.
In December 2024, Qantas announced a reduction in its group leadership team size as part of an effort to simplify structure. The changes reduced up to 400 roles across the company’s headquarters.
The aviation sector faces higher structural cost, driven by the oil crunch in the Middle East, as well as the drive to gain efficiencies sparked by the rollout of new technology such as AI.
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Chris Zappone is a senior reporter covering aviation and business. He is former digital foreign editor.Connect via X, Facebook or email.From our partners