Qantas Is Using AI Tools to Keep to Schedules and Boost Profits
The Australian Financial Review
ENRICHED
Details
- Date Published
- 8 May 2026
- Priority Score
- 1
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 11 May 2026, 06:00 am
Description
By identifying patterns in real-time, new AI tools helped Qantas reach an 86 per cent on-time rate in April, its best domestic result in nearly a decade.
Summary
Qantas has integrated real-time pattern recognition AI to optimize operations such as 'the turn,' resulting in an 86 per cent on-time performance rate. This implementation demonstrates the practical application of narrow AI in critical infrastructure logistics and its immediate impact on commercial efficiency. While the software enhances domestic operational safety and scheduling, it focuses on narrow business optimization rather than frontier model capabilities or systemic catastrophic risk. The case serves as an example of Australia’s sectoral adoption of AI within private industry frameworks, emphasizing incremental improvements in reliability and cost reduction.
Body
Ayesha de KretserSenior reporterMay 8, 2026 – 10.34am“Every day for us is game day,” says Ben Holland, the 30-year veteran who runs the Qantas operations nerve centre in Mascot.One of the key plays he’s obsessed with is “the turn”, which, in aviation speak, refers to the frantic, choreographed window between an aircraft landing and its next takeoff.Loading...SaveLog in or Subscribe to save articleShareCopy linkCopiedEmailLinkedInTwitterFacebookCopy linkCopiedShare via...Gift this articleSubscribe to gift this articleGift 5 articles to anyone you choose each month when you subscribe.Subscribe nowAlready a subscriber? LoginLicense articleFollow the topics, people and companies that matter to you.Find out moreRead MoreThe AI DividendAIAFR WeekendPerspectiveQantasMiddle East conflictVanessa HudsonAyesha de KretserSenior reporterAyesha de Kretser is a senior reporter with The Australian Financial Review covering the aviation and tourism sectors. She has previously reported on banking, mining and commodity markets. Connect with Ayesha on Twitter. Email Ayesha at ayesha.dekretser@afr.com.auFetching latest articles