Qantas will axe 850 jobs as it moves corporate roles to Accenture. The airline said these positions in finance, human resources, and marketing will shift to teams mostly based in India. Chief executive Vanessa Hudson said, "Standing still is not an option for us," citing rapid changes caused by AI.
The first phase of the cuts would affect finance, procurement, human resources and marketing staff. Some roles would be shifted to Accenture and performed by teams that would be "mostly" based in India, the airline said.
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In an email to staff, Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson said the jobs would be cut "over the coming years", with the first round to happen by mid-2027.
"Today we're announcing a new multi-year partnership with Accenture and changes that will affect parts of our corporate functions."
"I know this is hard news for some, and I'm sorry for the uncertainty it brings."
The cuts affect around 3% of Qantas' Australian workforce of 28,000.
The airline, Australia's flag carrier, said the move was in response to rapid changes in the industry due to AI.
"The scale and speed of change in technology and AI is something none of us has seen in our lifetime," Hudson said.
"Standing still is not an option for us."
The partnership with Accenture would help Qantas "redesign and simplify parts of how our corporate functions work and reduce duplication," she said.