‘Exorbitant profits over people’: QantasLink to shutter 3 national bases, impacting 70 staff

QantasLink will move ahead with a controversial plan to close three regional bases, despite objections from unions and local politicians.

Editor’s note: This story first appeared on HR Leader’s sister brand, Australian Aviation.

Pilot and cabin crew bases in Hobart, Canberra, and Mildura will be shuttered in April 2026, with around 70 employees moved to larger bases in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane, following a review conducted by QantasLink.

“Consolidating our crew bases so we have more of our pilots and cabin crew flying out of our major airports will enable us to deliver a more reliable service for our customers. This will help us better respond to disruptions and improve reliability across our regional network,” QantasLink CEO Rachel Yangoyan said.

“We have dozens of new aircraft joining the QantasLink fleet in the coming years, and this decision will help us provide customers with opportunities to fly to more destinations and benefit from more frequencies across our regional network.

“Importantly, relocating these jobs to other bases will not impact any of our flying into Canberra, Hobart or Mildura.”

Affected staff members will be given a “comprehensive support package” to allow them either to commute to the larger bases while remaining in their current homes, or to relocate to be closer to their new bases.

“We know the decision will be disappointing to our pilots and cabin crew in these bases, and we are putting in place a comprehensive package to support them continuing to maintain their family and life in their home city,” Yangoyan said.

“This will include support for things like flights and accommodation so they can commute to work.”

The Transport Workers’ Union has come out swinging against the decision, pointing to a survey conducted alongside two other unions showing that 68 per cent of affected workers would consider other employment if the closures went ahead.

The union’s national assistant secretary, Emily McMillan, said the axing of the bases “will have life-changing effects on pilots and cabin crew who were told their jobs in these bases were safe, and who made significant decisions on that assurance”.

“These crew are now in a position of having to choose between family and career because Qantas continues to put exorbitant profits over people,” she said.

“Qantas says it has changed, but this is the same old Qantas once again. It has afforded extra funding and transition time because of the impact it will have on affected employees’ lives but stops short of admitting that its decision is wrong. This is just another example of Qantas trying to plaster over a bad decision.

“Pilots, cabin crew, regional communities and our political leaders across the spectrum have urged Qantas to reconsider, but its decision to push ahead anyway is a mark of the disdain it still has towards its workforce and the Australian community.”

Tasmanian MP Andrew Wilkie, another critic of the move, has also excoriated QantasLink in his own statement, saying it will have a negative impact on the affected staff and the Hobart community.

“This is a terrible blow to the staff, many with families, who relocated to Hobart in good faith, have partners in local jobs, are building homes and have their children in local schools. Passengers and freight service quality will inevitably be affected,” he said.

“Turns out the Flying Kangaroo doesn’t regard Hobart as an Australian capital city, nor has it changed its HR culture since being found guilty of illegally sacking thousands of staff.”

Last month, QantasLink recommenced a Perth–Hobart service using its A319 fleet.