QF in “best position yet”

QANTAS CEO Alan Joyce has declared the airline is in “the best position its ever been”, ahead of the financial reporting period for Qantas later this month and as the carrier approaches 100 years of operation next year.

Speaking at the Centre for Aviation (CAPA) summit in Sydney yesterday, Joyce said the airline was in “the best financial position, the best brand position its ever had and it’s well positioned to take advantage of the opportunities with project sunrise when new aircraft arrive.

“This is not a 100-year-old looking at the end of its life, this is an organisation that’s excited and reborn and grabbing the opportunities,” he said.

Joyce called out the Perth to London service as an “amazing success”, highlighting that the service was “the biggest and most successful launch in Qantas’ history”.

He pointed to the customer experience of the Perth to London service receiving the highest net promoter score of all its routes, with a load factor of 95% and profitability since its inception.

However, he took aim again at Perth Airport, saying the current legal dispute over runway charges (TD 18 Dec 2018) were hindering the launch of a Perth to Paris direct service.

“If it wasn’t for the dispute we’re having with Perth Airport, we would have been announcing the operation of Perth to Paris.

“It’s something that has to be resolved,” he said.

He said the trans-Pacific joint business agreement with American Airlines (TD 22 Jul) was seen as pivotal for the airline.

“Brisbane to Chicago will be the world’s fourth longest route and it’s great to be able to link the third largest city in Australia with the third largest city in America.”

The development of other city pairings for direct services including Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane to London and New York non-stop still remains a strategic priority, according to Joyce, with new technology and ultra longhaul aircraft part of the airline expansion strategy.