Australian flag carrier, Qantas, has announced plans for its regional subsidiary, QantasLink, to close three of its existing bases, as the airline looks to restructure the regional division. The affected bases will be in Canberra, Hobart, and Mildura. The move is expected to assist in more efficiency and minimise disruptions and delays.
oneworld carrier, Qantas, has noted that the changes will take place in 2026; however, the Transport Workers Union has stressed that such a move is set to harm staff in regional Australian communities.
Extensive Review Has Led To This Decision
As noted by ABC News, Qantas has conducted an extensive review of its QantasLink operations, and the summary found that if the airline were to consolidate crews to its major hubs, such as Melbourne (MEL), Brisbane (BNE), and Sydney (SYD), it would result in a more streamlined and stronger operation.
The restructuring is set to affect around 70 pilots and cabin crew, who, as a result, will be offered comprehensive support packages, which will allow them to remain in Canberra, Hobart, or Mildura but still work out of a major Qantas base (i.e., commute to work). The support package will offer confirmed flights to major bases, rostering support, and accommodation as required. Relocation packages are also on offer, a Qantas spokesperson explained:
“Relocation support will be offered to those people who do not want to commute and would prefer to move closer to where they will be working from.”
New Aircraft Joining The Fleet
News of the affected bases has raised questions as to whether flights to Canberra, Hobart, and Mildura will be affected, and the airline has been quick to explain that there is no expected reduction in capacity to these airports, and also that the decision to shut these bases, will not impact job losses, as there are plenty of available positions at the larger bases. It is not uncommon in the airline industry for both pilots and cabin crew to travel to larger bases to operate their shifts, known as fly-in-fly-out workers.
The move to consolidate bases comes at a time when the QantasLink fleet is being rejuvenated, with dozens of new aircraft destined for the regional carrier. The investment in its fleet is to support the airline in providing better capacity and opening up additional markets across the network. New aircraft en route, as per ch-aviation, include:
|
Aircraft Type |
Number On Order |
In Service |
|---|---|---|
|
Airbus A220-300 |
22 |
Seven |
|
Airbus A320-200 |
Three |
16 |
|
De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 |
Seven |
38 |
The delivery of new and second-hand aircraft comes at a time when former Jetstar aircraft were transferred to the regional carrier as the airline looks to retire its aging Fokker 100 airplanes, and also mid-life aircraft from Westjet, which meant that the airline could add additional De Havilland Canada Dash 8-400 airplanes to the fleet, under Sunstate Airlines, and led to the retire of the Q300 fleet after 25 years in service. A fleet of brand new Airbus A220-300 has also meant that National Jet Systems, another subsidiary within QantasLink, has introduced these modern aircraft on domestic and soon-to-be international routes (Brisbane to Wellington).
Unions Are Disappointed
While the restructure will support pilots and crew with relocation packages, the Australian Transport Workers Union (TWU) has hit back at Qantas, with the union publishing results of a survey (as reported by Aerotime), where it indicated that around two-thirds of the workers affected would be likely to reconsider other employment should the base closures proceed.
The union explained that not only does the closing of these bases have life-changing effects for Qantas staff, but also the communities in which they serve, and that the airline is now expecting the crew to choose between ‘family and the airline’.
Local politicians are also getting involved, with Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie being overly critical of the move, claiming that the Australian flag carrier is forgetting about smaller state capitals (such as Hobart). Qantas currently operates bases in Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Mildura, Perth, and Sydney, but only Canberra, Hobart, and Mildura are affected by the changes, and the airline has a fleet of over 80 aircraft through a number of operators.
