Australian airline Qantas opened a new Product Innovation Centre in the central business district of Adelaide, South Australia, to house its technology product development teams. The airline announced it is also creating direct job opportunities for local graduates in a partnership scheme with Adelaide University.
Digital and technology roles
Data and Artificial Intelligence (AI) specialists will work closely with product managers, digital experience designers and software engineers to work on new digital customer experiences. The Qantas centre is due to house over 400 similar roles over the next three years and is supported by the South Australian government. The first 50 employees are already in-post in new offices, with the airline currently recruiting for a further 40 roles.
Rachel Yangoyan, Qantas Group Chief Technology, AI and Transformation Officer said:
“Where we’re heading with technology and AI is about knowing our customers better, anticipating what they need, and making every part of their journey feel connected. This Centre is central to that. It’s already helping us tap into some of the best talent in the country to build more personalised travel experiences for the millions of customers who fly with us every year.”
The airline explained that the team have already been using in-house built AI to test data and customer feedback in order to improve interactions and solve problems.
Graduate pathways
The partnership with Adelaide University has proved popular, with hundreds of applications received from students applying for digital technology roles. The first intake of graduates will commence in Feb. 2027.
Last month, the airline also opened a new Emergency Procedures Training Centre (EPTC) in Sydney, to annually train over 10,000 Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink pilots and cabin crew. A new EPTC centre also opened in Perth in March, bringing the total number of these training facilities to seven. Vanessa Hudson, Qantas Group Chief Executive Officer highlighted that these investments in staff training will support its planned fleet and network expansion. The airline calculated they delivered over 1.7 million hours of training in the past year, making Qantas “the largest aviation skills and training provider in Australia.”
The group also announced last month it will retire its fleet of 10 Airbus A380s in 2028, replacing with new orders of Airbus A350 and Boeing 787 jets.
What do you think about the Qantas Product Innovation Centre and its role in developing the use of AI for customer experiences? Let us know in the comments below.
