Qantas Group has entered into a strategic partnership with Accenture.
The partnership is aimed at modernizing backend systems, business processes, and data. Alongside its largest-ever fleet renewal program, the group will accelerate investment in technology and AI.
Qantas Group explained that, like airlines generally, it operates systems built over decades for different eras and has more than 1,000 legacy applications that were not designed to work together. Modernizing these systems and connecting data is seen as the key next step in reducing complexity and accelerating the use of AI. The group invests more than A$1 billion annually in technology, and its Qantas Product Innovation Centre in Adelaide is expected to expand to more than 400 roles. Thousands of employees are already using AI tools in their day-to-day work.
Through the partnership, the group will redesign and simplify the operation of some of its corporate functions. Some services currently provided will be transferred to Accenture and handled mainly by teams in India, with some support from teams in Australia. Further transformation through automation and AI is planned in the future.
As a result, around 850 roles across Qantas Group are expected to be affected over the coming years. The company said it will consult with affected employees and unions before deciding on individual arrangements. The first phase of changes is expected to be implemented by mid-2027. Where possible, employees are expected to be redeployed to other roles within the group.
