Qantas offshores 850 back-office roles to India

The restructuring begins in mid-2027. It initially impacts employees across finance, procurement, human resources, and marketing departments. Qantas aims to modernise legacy systems and expand artificial intelligence across its daily operations.

Aerospace manufacturers and airlines increasingly reshape their operations to improve overall efficiency. On Monday, Boeing announced it would cut five percent of its commercial airplane workforce through layoffs and attrition. The manufacturer slowed jet production plans to give factories and suppliers time to stabilise output.

Qantas signed a multi-year agreement with Accenture to modernise back-end systems, business processes, and data infrastructure. This partnership forms a core part of the airline’s broader technology transformation programme.

Chief Executive Officer Vanessa Hudson addressed employees directly regarding the operational shift. She noted that Qantas spends over A$1 billion annually on technology. However, the carrier still relies on over 1,000 legacy applications built across several decades. Hudson explained that engineers never designed these older systems to work together, making maintenance increasingly complex.

Accenture-operated teams in India will absorb most of the transferred positions, while some functions remain in Australia. Qantas promised to consult staff and unions before implementing changes and will redeploy affected employees where possible. Hudson apologized for the uncertainty this difficult news brings to the workforce.

Accenture will gradually transform these functions using automation and artificial intelligence. This strategy aims to reduce duplication and boost corporate efficiency. Hudson emphasized that unprecedented technological change requires Qantas to adapt quickly to remain competitive.