Qantas critics for the meat grinder? Airline hires bin Salman’s reputation launderer

Qantas is relying on Saudi Arabian murderer Mohammed bin Salman’s top reputation launderer to rehabilitate itself in the eyes of Australians.

According to The Australian Financial Review, Qantas, roiled by its exposure not merely as one of Australia’s worst gouging profiteers but for selling tickets to fake flights, has hired Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to improve its reputation with customers.

And BCG has extensive experience in laundering the reputations of some of the world’s most evil people.

Its relationship with bin Salman is particularly close, and survived his murder of critic Jamal Khashoggi in Türkiye in 2018, when the journalist was killed and his body disposed of with a meat grinder in the Saudi embassy. BCG’s work for Salman includes:

• A lucrative defence procurement systems contract when the prince became defence minister in 2015;
• Helped, with rivals McKinsey, prepare the document central to bin Salman’s reputation-laundering program, Vision 2030;
• Chief adviser to bin Salman’s personal youth foundation Misk;
• Pitching absurd ideas for bin Salman’s dystopian “Neom” future city, a project that led to the murder of a local land activist.

BCG is also closely involved with bin Salman’s bid for what would be his biggest reputation-laundering coup yet — hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2030.

The Saudi dictator and murderer isn’t BCG’s only marquee despot client. The Luanda Leaks documents exposed BCG’s extensive and high-level involvement in the multibillion-dollar theft of wealth from Angola by kleptocrat José Eduardo dos Santos and his daughter Isabel. BCG is still under active investigation for its role in the crimes of the dos Santos family (the company isn’t above a bit of nepotism itself either).

Qantas’ willingness to employ a company that eagerly works for some of the most evil and corrupt people in the world suggests that the ethical standards of the Alan Joyce era — which embraced the illegal sacking of workers during the pandemic, acceptance of hundreds of millions in taxpayer handouts, anti-competitive conduct, bullying of regional airport operators, profit gouging and sales of tickets for fake flights — remain in place.

Perhaps BCG can recommend Qantas bid to sponsor a world cup, or build its own airport, or launch a youth foundation to distract people from its misconduct. But the Fin’s Joe Aston might want to avoid going into any Qantas offices lest he never come out.