QANTAS chief executive has called on unions to back the airline's controversial plan to axe 500 engineering jobs

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QANTAS chief executive has called on unions to back the airline's controversial plan to axe 500 engineering jobs

Qantas is shedding 10 per cent of its heavy maintenance workforce as part of a restructure of its facilities in Melbourne and Brisbane following a major review.

Unions have slammed the plan, saying it will decimate Australia's ability to maintain aircraft.

But Mr Joyce urged the unions to stop attacking Qantas and get behind the plan, saying it reinforced the airline's commitment to keeping maintenance jobs in Australia instead of sending them offshore.

"We should be getting all the support we can to maximise the jobs in Australia,'' Mr Joyce said.

The bulk of the job cuts - 422 - will be made at Qantas' heavy maintenance base at Tullamarine airport in Melbourne.

The facility will close by August, with maintenance work moving to Brisbane.

Another 113 jobs will go at Avalon airport, near Geelong.

However, 30 new line maintenance jobs will be created in Melbourne and five in Sydney.

Mr Joyce flagged more job cuts could be on the cards in the future as operations at Avalon continued to be reviewed.

He said the reality was that the heavy maintenance work at Tullamarine and Avalon had dropped off considerably, partly as a result of Qantas buying more modern aircraft which do not need to be serviced as often as older models.

While he was unable to say how long Avalon would remain viable, Mr Joyce said it was inevitable that Qantas would one day have just one heavy maintenance facility in Australia.pe``We know we have to move to one maintenance facility over time,'' he said.

Mr Joyce said Qantas was having to make the changes as it tried to remain competitive with foreign airlines who saw Australia as an attractive market.

Unions are urging the government to intervene to safeguard Australia's capacity to maintain aircraft.

"Our concern is that this decision is the thin edge of wedge as fleets start to be retired,'' Alliance member and Australian Workers Union Victorian branch secretary Cesar Melham said.

"We are calling on government to immediately intervene and call an urgent aviation industry round table before any jobs and critical skills are lost.''

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