Qantas CEO Alan Joyce’s plans for retirement have been placed on hold…for at least another three years. Today, Qantas announced the veteran CEO would remain at the helm of the Australian airlines until at least 2022.
Yesterday, I wrote about Joyce telling a Sydney audience that Qantas would be prepared to launch ultra-longhaul service by the end of the year. Those routes include:
- Melbourne – London
- Sydney – London
- Sydney – New York
But service likely won’t start until 2022 as Qantas waits for delivery of a suitable aircraft to handle these intercontinental routes.
Earlier this year, Joyce announced that he would step down next year after Qantas celebrated its centennial anniversary. Today, however, the Sydney Morning Herald reported Qantas Chairman Richard Goyder asked Joyce to stay three more years and Joyce agreed.
Joyce has been on the job 11 years and overseen a remarkable turnaround of a once-troubled airline. His leadership is credited with overcoming a contentious labor dispute in 2011 that finally set the carrier on the course toward profit.
Speaking on the “extension” of his role, Joyce said:
I’ll stay for as long as the board and shareholders want me, and as long as I’m enjoying the job and feel I have more I can give to it. Frankly, all of those things are as true now as they’ve ever been.
> Read More: Qantas Prepares For Sydney To London Nonstop
image: Qantas
Qantas international doesn’t make any money. The only highly profitable bits are the “rivers of gold “ routes, Melbourne-Sydney-Brisbane, and the frequent flyer program ( so a bit like AA in that regard). Yes, Joyce stopped the bleeding in international but has had very little impact on domestic profitability.