With Qantas CEO Geoff Dixon believed to be furious as he boarded a plane after attending Boeing’s unveiling of its first completed 787 in Seattle on hearing his restructure plans had been made public it appears that the Qantas Board is to meet next Wednesday for the first time since the Airline Partners Australia consortium failed in its attempt to take over the national carrier, to discss Mr Dixon’s plans.
It is understood that Mr Dixon will present a major restructure plan to the company’s board, including carving off 200 planes into a separate company.
Qantas has just ordered 20 Boeing 787 Dreamliner aircraft, bringing the total order to 85 as it ramps up its capacity in the next phase of the company’s $2-billion capital management plan.
Qantas yesterday refused to comment on speculation its directors will also consider plans to spin off the airline’s Frequent Flyer loyalty scheme and the Qantas air freight business, a strategy that had been considered likely if the APA bid had succeeded, with Mr Dixon believed to be keen to spin the two businesses off while maintaining control, potentially listing them as separate entities on the Australian Securities Exchange.
The meeting is also set to include discussions on who is to replace Ms Jackson, with former chief executive James Strong the current front runner.
Report by The Mole
