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Updated August 4, 2026 — 8:54am,first published 7:49am
Qantas is considering outsourcing up to 1000 roles to India in a major deal with consulting giant Accenture.
The airline would consider shifting jobs in marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office positions, the company confirmed. The potential deal was first reported by The Australian Financial Review. A final decision on the plan, called Project iQ, is expected this year.
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.
“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.”
“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 and there is currently no formal agreement in place, a spokesperson said. Accenture has been approached for comment.
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 March, chief executive Vanessa Hudson stressed the growing importance of the use of technology at Qantas.
“We see so many use cases for AI to deliver better outcomes for customers, particularly in moments where they’re disrupted,” Hudson 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.
