Australian airline Qantas plans to transition around 850 corporate jobs to Accenture, primarily shifting operations to India to modernise its tech stack and expand its AI capabilities. The job transition will be in mid-2027 and will primarily affect employees working in finance, procurement, human resources and marketing. Under the proposed arrangement, most of the outsourced roles will be transferred to teams in India, while some positions will remain in Australia, as per BBC report.
In an internal email to employees on Tuesday, Qantas CEO Vanessa Hudson acknowledged the impact of the decision, describing it as difficult news for affected workers and apologising for the uncertainty surrounding their future. She added that, quoted BBC, "scale and speed of change in technology and AI is something none of us has seen in our lifetime."
Hudson said the rapid development of technology and AI was transforming the aviation industry at an unprecedented pace. She added that the airline was consulting employees and unions regarding the proposed changes.
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Accenture Deal to Modernise Technology Systems
Explaining the decision, Hudson said the multi-year partnership with Accenture was aimed at simplifying corporate operations, reducing duplication and upgrading outdated IT infrastructure.
Qantas currently spends more than AU$1 billion annually on technology. According to Hudson, the airline operates more than 1,000 legacy applications developed over several decades, many of which were not designed to function together.
Employees May Be Redeployed
Qantas said it would explore redeployment opportunities for affected employees wherever possible, including the creation of alternative positions in Australia. The airline employs approximately 28,000 people in Australia and another 4,000 internationally. It also said thousands of employees already use AI tools in their daily work.
The announcement comes days after Qantas issued a market update highlighting higher fuel expenses, potential fare increases and flight reductions.
The restructuring reflects the growing use of outsourcing, automation and AI across the global aviation industry as companies seek to reduce operating costs and modernise business operations.
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