FILE PHOTO: The wingtip from a Qantas Boeing 737 jet is seen in the early morning light as it climbs out of Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport on August 10, 2025. An Australian court fined Qantas A$90 million (US$59 million) in August 18 for illegally laying off 1,800 ground staff during the Covid-19 pandemic. - AFP
SYDNEY: Qantas Airways, Australia’s largest airline, has been fined A$90 million (US$58.64 million) for illegally sacking 1,800 ground staff and replacing them with contractors during the Covid-19 pandemic, a court ruled on Monday (Aug 18).
In imposing a penalty close to the maximum available for breaching Australia's workplace laws, Federal Court of Australia Judge Michael Lee said it was to ensure it "could not be perceived as anything like the cost of doing business”.
