SYDNEY – In his first public speech since taking over from Geoff Dixon as CEO of Qantas, Alan Joyce played down the chances of a merger with British Airways, but talked up the possibility of consolidation with a carrier in Asia.
“Potentially any merger of BA, if that is the way we decide to go, does not preclude us doing something in Asia eventually and we believe there is going to be potential opportunities in Asia and around the world and we will look at those opportunities,†he said
Joyce met BA boss and fellow Irishman Willie Walsh in Hong Kong over the weekend where the pair discussed the challenges of getting a BA-Qantas merger accepted by regulators and shareholders.
“We are still at the early stages of this,†said Joyce. “There is a reasonable chance that this may not go ahead. We are still in a position where we have significant hurdles to overcome so there is absolutely no guarantee that transaction will be forthcoming.â€
