Canberra [Australia], September 6: The chief executive of Qantas has announced he will retire two months early amid a series of controversies that have tarnished the image of Australia's national airline.
Alan Joyce will step down tomorrow, the airline said in a statement on Tuesday, after weeks of turbulence at the flagship carrier.
Joyce, who has led Qantas since 2008, had been due to retire in November.
Qantas has been under fire in recent weeks amid a series of controversies related to its treatment of customers.
Those include revelations that it successfully lobbied the Australian government to deny a bid by Qatar Airways to operate more flights to Europe despite soaring airfares and allegations that it sold tickets for more than 8,000 flights it knew had been cancelled.
Qantas last month posted an annual profit of $1.1bn but has seen its stock price fall by 13 percent since the start of August amid the negative publicity.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation