QPC Briefing No 6 2026
Melbourne A380 Base - Consultation Meeting
As pilots will be aware, Qantas has announced that from October 2026 the Melbourne LAX flying on the A380 will be transferred to the B787. Qantas has advised there will be no reduction in overall flying on the A380, with the extra capacity going into Sydney.
After advising the AFAP of this decision, Qantas initially stated it did not need to commence consultation with us and instead would only commence discussions with AIPA. This would have denied AFAP members their own choice of representative in consultation meetings concerning a significant decision that directly affects them.
Only after the AFAP made it clear that we were prepared to pursue legal action to enforce representative rights did Qantas reverse course and commence consultation with us.
Under the Fair Work Act our members have the right to their choice of representation in consultation, and we will not allow the company to sidestep that simply because it would prefer to deal with another party.
An initial meeting with AFAP representatives was held on Friday, in which Qantas advised it has not made a final decision to close the Melbourne A380 base and commence a Reduction in Numbers (RIN) process. However, Qantas stated this would ultimately be the likely outcome.
Qantas had previously advised the AFAP that should it proceed with a RIN, all Melbourne based A380 pilots could be accommodated on the A380 in Sydney.
Qantas sought input into options as an alternative to proceeding with a base closure and a RIN, to which the AFAP outlined alternatives including leaving the base open, with patterns built to start and finish from Melbourne.
We also advised that individual members may have specific requests based on their circumstances, and that we would provide this information to Qantas as it comes to hand. To this end, any AFAP A380 MEL based members who have particular issues they would like raised, to please contact the AFAP on the details below.
To ensure members’ views are properly represented, we encourage any AFAP A380 Melbourne based pilots who may be affected to contact the AFAP with their preferred options or concerns. Member input will directly inform the position we put to the company in consultation.
In addition to ensuring individual issues are raised, this process is also an opportunity for members who wish to be more directly involved in representing their colleagues to step forward.
We acknowledged that the base staying open is a highly unlikely outcome and advised Qantas that our members are planning for the decision from Qantas to be to proceed with the RIN. As such, we advised Qantas that members will be seeking information on proposed timelines for relocation, commuting assistance and also requested that Qantas provide the current Company Staff Transfer Policy.
In response Qantas advised that it is expecting a decision regarding the RIN to be made soon, and that it would then engage in further consultation with the AFAP.
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