Qantaslink Mulls Closing Three Crew Bases

Politicians have come out swinging over plans by Qantas to close regional crew bases in Canberra (CBR), Hobart (HBA), and Mildura (MQL), affecting around 80 jobs.

Qantas, primarily under its QantasLink brand, has around 450 weekly aircraft movements in Canberra (around half comprise the high frequency DHC-8-Q400 shuttle on the Sydney (SYD) route), around 100 weekly aircraft movements at Hobart, and about 46 weekly aircraft movements at Mildura.

Qantaslink CEO Rachel Yangoyan says the airline is yet to make a final decision has but argues that closing the crew bases would benefit passengers. She said the ongoing review of the base structure “is focused on improving reliability for customers and ensuring we can continue to grow our regional flying network into the future.”

Under the plan, the impacted employees could transfer to larger crew bases at Sydney, Melbourne (MEL), or Brisbane (BNE).

“Having more team members based at our busiest ports would help us respond more quickly to disruptions and reduce delays and cancellations for our customers,” said Yangoyan.

“If a decision is made to close these bases, there’ll be ongoing work for all of our pilots and cabin crew, and we’re committed to supporting our people through this process.”

Qantaslink, which operates regional and thinner inter-city routes on behalf of Qantas, has steadily consolidated its bases and maintenance facilities in recent years, primarily to Australia’s east coast capital city airports.

Leaked Qantaslink documents say the airline’s presence at Hobart, Canberra, and Mildura is “not expected to grow under our current network plans” and that closing the bases would see Qantas “better placed to ­respond to disruptions and support our customers”.

Politicians hit out at base closure plan

Hobart-based federal politician Andrew Wilkie says dozens of aircraft crew are currently based in that city. Qantas flies to Brisbane, Canberra (seasonally), Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney from the Tasmanian capital.

“The possibility of QantasLink closing its local crew base also follows Qantas’ failed 2014 experiment when the airline axed all mainline Qantas services to Hobart,” Wilkie said. “This saw a decline in quality and was eventually reversed to ensure some mainline services were restored.”

“Qantas tell me that no decision has been made yet regarding the Hobart base. But in the circumstances, I feel it necessary to call on Qantas to rule out closing the Hobart base.”

Canberra based federal politician David Pocock said he was “deeply concerned about the impact should Qantas proceed with closure of its Qantas Link base in Canberra.”

Qantas/Qantaslink serves Canberra from Adelaide (ADL), Brisbane, Darwin (DRW), Hobart (seasonally), Melbourne and Perth.

“It would hurt the workers and their families required to relocate, and could also exacerbate already high rates of flight cancellations,” Pocock added.

Anne Webster, federal member for Mallee, which includes Mildura, calls the plan “another crippling blow to regional aviation in Australia.”

Qantaslink connects Mildura with Melbourne and Sydney using DHC-8-Q400s. Mildura is the smallest and most remote of the three airports with bases on the chopping block.

“Qantas has been running down these bases by stealth - scheduling rosters in ways that undermine efficiency and now declaring the regionally based staff model will not work for the airline’s future,” said Webster.

“This isn’t just about workers - it’s about connectivity, liveability and the future of regional Australia,” Bridget McKenzie, the leader of the regionally focused National Party. “Qantas needs to stop retreating into the big cities and start looking after the nation that gave it its wings.”

Qantas and Qantaslink fly to 63 airports around Australia. Of that number, around 50 are smaller regional or remote airports.

Plans to close the three bases follow the Qantas Group recently posting an AUD1.6 billion (USD1.07 billion) after tax profit for the 12 months to June 30, 2025. The airline was also recently slapped with a record AUD90 million (USD60.1 million) fine by Australia’s Federal Court for illegally sacking workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Photo: Canberra Airport.