The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, a consumer watchdog, sued the airline in the Federal Court, alleging that Qantas engaged in false, misleading or deceptive conduct by advertising tickets for more than 8,000 flights from May 2021 through to July 2022 that had already been cancelled.

More than 1,800 ground staff were fired at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The penalty is in addition to the AU$120 million ($78 million) in compensation that Australia’s biggest airline had already agreed to pay its former employees.