Qantas is outsourcing the Spirit of Australia, says AIPA

The Australian and International Pilots Association (AIPA) is bitterly disappointed and frustrated by Qantas' decision to wet lease two Finnair aircraft.

The Finnair aircraft will take Qantas passengers from Sydney to Singapore and Sydney to Bangkok using Finnair crew and pilots for two and a half years.

AIPA President, Captain Tony Lucas, said the appalling decision to outsource Australian jobs is a significant failure of management.

"Qantas' decision to wet lease two Finnair aircraft is shocking, bitterly disappointing and could have been avoided with more effective management decisions," he said.

"It beggars belief that Qantas is outsourcing the Spirit of Australia while simultaneously converting two of our own A330 passenger aircraft into freighters.

"The decision to wet lease illustrates the failures of the fleet planning processes of the last five years and certainly recent decisions made during the pandemic recovery.

"Not only is it disappointing for our hardworking and dedicated pilots but it is also disappointing for loyal Qantas passengers.

"Using the words of Qantas, stepping onto one of its aircraft is supposed to "feel like home". Sadly this won't be the case for passengers on these flights.

"Getting another carrier to operate our routes is also significantly more expensive than operating the services within Qantas.

"This is a sad day for our great airline."