Qantas Outsourcing Plans Advanced Through Talks With Accenture to Move 1,000 Back-Office Roles to India
Australian Financial Review
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Details
- Date Published
- 3 Aug 2026
- Priority Score
- 1
- Australian
- Yes
- Created
- 3 Aug 2026, 10:00 pm
Description
The airline has been in discussions with the consulting giant over what it calls Project iQ, which could result in the loss of up to 1000 jobs in Australia.
Summary
This article examines Qantas's 'Project iQ', a cost-cutting initiative involving the outsourcing of 1,000 Australian back-office roles to Accenture in India. The strategy highlights the trend of large enterprises integrating AI to overhaul corporate operations and automate marketing, finance, and HR functions. While significant for the Australian labor market and corporate AI implementation, the report focuses on operational efficiency and economic restructuring rather than catastrophic AI risks or frontier safety governance. It serves as a case study for the socio-economic impacts of AI-driven automation in the Australian corporate sector.
Body
CompaniesTransportAviationPrint articleEdmund Tadros and Ayesha de KretserAug 4, 2026 – 5.00amQantas is in advanced discussions to outsource up to 1000 positions to India as part of a deal with consulting giant Accenture, as it works on cutting costs and overhauling its operations using artificial intelligence.Known as Project iQ, the plan would include outsourcing part of the airline’s marketing, finance, human resources and other back-office positions, according to several people briefed on the matter who requested anonymity to speak freely. A decision on whether to proceed with the plan and how many jobs will be cut is expected this year.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 articleRead MoreAviationQantasVanessa HudsonIndiaAccentureConsultingIT networksSubscriber exclusiveFetching latest articles