After years of discourse that has damaged the Qantas brand, uncovered videos are set to shine a light on the culture at one of Qantas' major contractors - Swissport.
In 2020, during the thick of the coronavirus pandemic, global travel ground to a halt, and airlines worldwide scrambled to cut costs. Then CEO Alan Joyce took drastic measures to cut costs. He orchestrated the outsourcing of thousands of ground-handling jobs to companies like Swissport. These were roles previously held by highly trained Qantas staff, many of whom are still seeking permanent employment years later.
Damning videos shared to 6 News show 'highly unprofessional' conduct by Swissport ground handlers across airports in Australia. Some of these incidents could lead to 'something disastrous'.
6 News spoke with Transport Workers Union national secretary Michael Kaine who told us about the damning culture inside both companies that could have catastrophic effects.
We also spoke to a former REX Airlines ground handler who worked alongside workers from Swissport. He claims he was almost run over on purpose by Swissport workers on multiple occasions.
'Paying the Price' airs Monday on www.youtube.com/@6newsau.
Statements
QANTAS GROUP: The two incidents in Melbourne were fully investigated at the time they took place (around 6 months ago) by safety teams at both Qantas and Swissport with process changes implemented to prevent such events from occurring in the future.
The image from Brisbane was part of planned maintenance with a safe GSE (Ground Service Equipment) parking space and was not an incident.
Qantas continues to see improvements from Swissport in the reduction of damage events.
SWISSPORT: At Swissport, ensuring the highest standards of flight safety is our top priority. We have strict safety and service standards in place, which are enforced in all our operations. Swissport takes any incidents that contravene these standards seriously and has robust procedures in place to investigate them. This incident is currently under investigation.