After 15 years at the head of Qantasthe CEO Alan Joyce announced yesterday his departure from early retirementat a time when the Australian airline is accused of having sold 8,000 plane tickets on already canceled flights.
Alan Joyce, 57, who was due to leave office next November, has brought forward his departure by two months. He will be replaced by current financial director Vanessa Hudson. “The events of recent weeks have made me understand that the company must first renew itself“, declared the resigning CEO in a press release. “The best thing I can do in these circumstances is to anticipate my retirement and pass the baton to Vanessa“.
Qantas recorded a annual profit of 1.1 billion dollars (1 billion euros), a significant financial turnaround after two years of border closures due to Covid-19. Under the leadership of Alan Joyce, it restructured drastically, despite billions of dollars in public aid, angering some employees who were fired or furloughed in order to cut costs.
Transport Workers’ Union national secretary Michael Kaine welcomed Alan Joyce’s departure as “the first good decision» taken by the Australian airline «for a very long time“. “Alan Joyce retires two months early, with a salary of $16 million (€14.83 million), leaving behind one of the biggest messes in the company’s history», added the trade unionist.
