Qantas is the airline that still calls Australia home.
But for many of its temporarily redundant pilots, they’re more likely to call Dubai, Abu Dhabi or Doha home for the next few years.
Qantas said about 150 of its more than 2,000 pilots were taking unpaid leave and some were working for rival airlines after it cut services in a bid to revive unprofitable international operations.
Qantas needs fewer pilots after it announced a reduction in overseas services in August following heavy losses on international routes.
Many on-leave pilots are being allowed to join Gulf-based carriers, such as Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways, airlines that are challenging Qantas on Australia-Europe routes as they grow their long-haul fleets.
