Pilots have joined a chorus of anger against Qantas, calling on the chairman to stand down as a Senate inquiry scrutinises the airline's role in a government decision to reject extra Qatar Airways flights.
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Pressure continues to pile on Qantas after weeks of bad press marked by a potential $250 million fine from the consumer watchdog, a High Court loss which found the carrier had illegally sacked almost 1700 workers during the COVID-19 pandemic and a Senate grilling on the airline's huge profits during a cost-of-living crisis.
The Australian and International Pilots Association has called for chairman Richard Goyder to step down, the first time in its history, and has written to the airline's CEO Vanessa Hudson about its decision.
The association's president Tony Lucas blasted Mr Goyder for overseeing "one of the most damaging periods in Qantas' history".
'(It) included the illegal sacking of 1700 workers, allegations of illegally marketing cancelled flights and a terribly managed return to operations after COVID-19," he said.
"The morale of Qantas pilots has never been lower, we have totally lost confidence in Goyder and his board."
Mr Goyder's $100,000 pay rise to $750,000 "while staff are expected to accept a two-year wage freeze" was "a galling and tone-deaf decision", Mr Lucas said.
"For our great national carrier to flourish, it needs leadership from a board that understands the value of its employees, respects its customers and can win back the trust of a nation."
While Prime Minister Anthony Albanese did not call on Mr Goyder to step down, he said the airline had its work cut out.
"Qantas has a lot of work to do to repair the damage that has been done to its reputation, both in terms of workers and in terms of customers," he told reporters in Adelaide.
Government Services Minister Bill Shorten told Nine's Today show Qantas workers had shown far more loyalty to the airline's board and senior management than they had received.
"I don't know what makes a board or a chairperson to resign these days," he said.
Senior National Bridget McKenzie agreed that Qantas had "not covered itself in glory".
Meanwhile, a parliamentary committee is continuing to scrutinise the role Qantas' lobbying played in the government's decision to knockback Qatar Airways' bid for extra flights, as well as Australia's bilateral air agreements more broadly.
Transport Minister Catherine King has defended her decision to reject the flights on national interest grounds but hasn't elaborated.
While Productivity Commission deputy chair Alex Robson said the country's international aviation policy had generally served Australia well, air services agreements could restrict airlines' access to airports.
"(This) can impede competition between airlines, which matters because it can harm the community in many ways," he told the inquiry on Tuesday.
These constraints can push up costs and airfares for consumers, which has led the Productivity Commission to suggest increasing the transparency of the government's cost-benefit analyses and granting international airlines greater access to major airports.
Australian Associated Press
