Qantas will outsource 850 local corporate jobs to consulting firm Accenture, with most roles moving to India as the airline accelerates investment in artificial intelligence. The restructuring, which is expected to begin by mid-2027, will primarily affect finance, procurement, people, and marketing roles. The company stated that some of these functions will remain in Australia, while others will be transferred to Accenture’s India-based teams to modernize back-end systems and reduce duplication.
CEO Vanessa Hudson said the move is intended to modernize IT systems that currently rely on more than 1,000 legacy applications. Hudson noted that the airline spends over AU$1bn (US$691m; £514m) annually on technology and requires upgraded systems to become more efficient. The company said that the work transitioned to Accenture will eventually be further transformed through automation and AI.
"The scale and speed of change in technology and AI is something none of us has seen in our lifetime," Hudson said in an internal email to staff.
The announcement follows a market update from the airline flagging potential fare increases and flight cuts due to rising fuel costs. While customer demand has remained resilient, the company indicated it would continue to adjust capacity and pricing in response to elevated oil prices.
Qantas, which employs approximately 28,000 staff in Australia and 4,000 globally, said thousands of its employees already utilize AI in their daily operations. The airline is currently in discussions with staff and unions regarding the restructuring plans.
