Qantas restructuring, slashes 500 jobs

Embattled Australian flag carrier Qantas said on Monday that it will axe 500 jobs in its heavy maintenance and engineering operations as part of a restructuring.

Embattled Australian flag carrier Qantas said on Monday that it will axe 500 jobs in its heavy maintenance and engineering operations as part of a restructuring.

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The move follows an 83% slump in first-half net profit in the six months to December, and an announcement that it would delay the delivery of two A380 superjumbos by three years as part of spending cuts.

Qantas will cease heavy maintenance at Tullamarine in Melbourne, and work will be consolidated in Avalon and Brisbane.

Unemployment on decline: govt

Government on Monday said unemployment was on the decline in both urban and rural areas as per the figures of recent surveys. “Unemployment rate in rural areas has declined from 8.2% in 2004-05 to 6.8% in 2009-10 and the corresponding rate for the urban areas has also declined from 8.3% to 5.8%,” labour minister Mallikarjun Kharge told Lok Sabha. pti/New delhi