# Qantas’ bombshell plan to send 1,000 Australian jobs to India in major cost-cutting blitz

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/qantas-bombshell-plan-to-send-1000-australian-jobs-to-india-in-major-cost-cutting-blitz/
- Published: 2026-08-04T02:53:14+00:00
- Updated: 2026-08-25T10:46:12+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16026431/Qantas-bombshell-plan-send-1-000-Australian-jobs-India-major-cost-cutting-blitz.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Asia, Business, Economy, World

## Key points

- Qantas reportedly in talks to outsource 1,000 Australian jobs to India
- Plan, "Project IQ", targets back-office roles via AI and offshoring
- Unions alarmed given Qantas' past illegal 2020 mass sackings scandal

## Summary

Qantas is reportedly holding early-stage talks to outsource around 1,000 Australian jobs to India as part of a broader cost-cutting and AI-driven restructuring effort dubbed "Project IQ". The plan, first reported by the Australian Financial Review, would see back-office functions such as marketing, finance and human resources shifted offshore, prompting strong criticism from unions and renewing scrutiny of the airline's employment practices.

Qantas has confirmed it is exploring partnerships to modernise its operations using technology and AI, but says no formal agreement or decision has yet been made. The Australian Services Union's Scott Cowen said Qantas had assured it had no plans to offshore jobs and demanded the airline honour that commitment. The controversy follows a landmark case in which Qantas was found by the Federal Court to have illegally sacked 1,820 ground staff in 2020, replacing them with cheaper outsourced labour to head off industrial action; the airline was fined $90 million and ordered to pay $120 million in compensation, with former CEO Alan Joyce defending the decisions as necessary during a crisis.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.