Former American Airlines chief executive Doug Parker is joining the board of Qantas as the Australian carrier forecast annual profits of more than A$2.4 billion.
He brings more than 35 years of aviation experience to the Qantas group.
His appointment came as the airline said international capacity would return to reach around 100% of pre-Covid levels by March 2024.
The carrier will add around one million seats to its international network over 12 months from October compared to its current schedule.
“Forward booking trends indicate strong travel demand continuing,” Qantas said, with revenue at 118% of pre-Covid levels for domestic services and 123% for international.
Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said: “We’re seeing the broad trends we expected as the industry recovers and trading conditions remain very positive.
“More parts of the aviation supply chain are returning to normal, which means we’re able to put some of the spare aircraft and crew we kept in reserve back in the schedule. That’s combining with lower fuel prices to help put downward pressure on fares, which is good news for customers.”
He added: “The industry remains capacity constrained and the travel category remains strong, so there’s still a mismatch between supply and demand that’s likely to persist for some time, especially for international flying.
“We’re on track to take delivery of another eight new aircraft before the end of this calendar year and we’re working hard to bring the last of our stored aircraft through heavy maintenance so we can get them back in the air.”
Referring to the appointment of Parker, Qantas chairman Richard Goyder said: “There are few people with as much experience running airlines as Doug.
“He’s spent more than two decades as an airline CEO in North America, including eight years heading up the world’s largest airline.
“The knowledge and perspective he’ll bring to the board will be a huge asset as we grow in the years ahead.
American Airlines and Qantas formed a joint business while Parker was at the helm of the US carrier between 2013 and 2021.
He said: “Qantas has always been one of the world’s great airlines and it has clearly come through the pandemic in a very strong position.
“I’m honoured to be joining the board at a time when there is a lot of momentum and I look forward to doing what I can to support that.”