QPC Briefing No 2 2026
Long Haul EA Update
As 2026 gets swiftly underway, it is important to outline where the LH EA 11 process currently stands.
The company made providing ‘in principle agreement’ to the EA package a condition for involvement in drafting the EA. After considering the package against member expectations and feedback, the AFAP QPC was unable to provide in principle agreement at this time. This has caused a prolonged “hurry up and wait” period for your AFAP negotiators. We expect to receive the drafted agreement in the near future. Once received, the AFAP will have seven days to review the document in full before it is released to pilots for the access period prior to proceeding to ballot.
The AFAP, which represents more than 6000 Australian pilots from all major Australian airlines, is well versed in drafting EAs. The QPC Committee and AFAP legal and industrial staff, will thoroughly review and evaluate the final EA11 document. Members will be informed of any differences from what has previously been outlined in the AFAP explanatory material (available
here), including further details on mechanisms not fully explained or agreed upon during negotiations.
After the seven-day access period, Qantas is expected to proceed directly to a ballot. This tight timeframe makes it crucial for members to be engaged and ready to understand and carefully consider the document.
The negotiation environment of this EA is fundamentally different from the two most recent long-haul agreements. In EA9, the Company used a fear-based catalyst, the threat of outsourcing 787 operations via a Greenfields Agreement, which put considerable pressure on pilots and ultimately led to a YES vote. EA10 followed a similar approach, with COVID-related uncertainty and the implicit threat that A350 aircraft would not be ordered for mainline operations unless pilots approved the agreement. In both cases, fear and external pressure were key in influencing the outcome.
This time, the context is different. There is no clear equivalent fear narrative driving the process. As a result, mainline pilots are in a materially different position. Without a looming threat, pilots are not being coerced into defensive decisions. Instead, pilots now share the balance of control. It is important to highlight that this fairness reflects the intent of amendments to the Fair Work Act over recent years, which aim to promote fairer bargaining outcomes. We strongly encourage members to approach this agreement calmly, critically, and without emotion, understanding both risks and rewards, and not succumbing to external pressure or fear.
Likewise, it is crucial for pilots to understand the mechanisms available under the Fair Work Act and the realistic process that would follow a vote outcome. The AFAP legal team has detailed this in the AFAP’s explanatory document (an extract is available
here). Neither possible outcome nor process should be feared.
Members should seize the opportunity to evaluate what is proposed, what has altered during drafting, and what the agreement truly provides. The lack of a fear-based catalyst allows for a clear-minded, considered decision. That position of control should be recognised, understood, and exercised accordingly.
More to come on LH EA 11 in the coming weeks.
Questions and Feedback
If you have any questions or feedback please contact your AFAP Qantas Pilot Council representatives at
qpc@afap.org.au, or the AFAP legal and industrial team of Senior Legal/ Industrial Officer Pat Larkins (
patrick@afap.org.au), Senior Industrial Officer Deanna Cain (
deanna@afap.org.au) or Executive Director Simon Lutton (
simon@afap.org.au).
Regards,
AFAP Qantas Pilot Council
Michael Egan – Chair
Mark Gilmour – Vice-Chair
Rob Close – Secretary
Michael Armessen – Committee Member
David LaPorte – Committee Member
Josh Chalmers – Committee Member
Rob Gilmour – Committee Member