Australia: Oil prices, slowdown force Qantas job cuts

QANTAS has warned further job cuts cannot be ruled out after slashing 1500 positions from across its operations, blaming higher oil prices and a slowdown in the domestic airline sector.

As well as 1500 job cuts – all but 100 of which will be in Australia – by Christmas, Qantas will shelve plans to hire 1200 staff, after forecasts of an 8 per cent increase in passenger capacity next year were revised to zero.