QANTAS AIRWAYS lost its challenge to a court ruling today that the Australian company had illegally fired 1,700 baggage handlers, cleaners and other ground staff at the height of pandemic travel disruptions.

Seven High Court judges unanimously rejected Qantas’s appeal against a Federal Court full-bench decision, upholding the judge’s previous ruling.

The ruling is another major blow for the airline, which Australia’s consumer watchdog is suing for more than AU$250 million (£129m) for allegedly selling thousands of tickets last year for flights that had already been cancelled.