Despite ongoing calls from investors for his resignation in the wake of a series of scandals plaguing the airline, the chairman of Australia's Qantas Airways has declined to step down, according to a report by ABC News on Thursday, which cited an interview with a radio program. The airline is currently embroiled in a regulatory lawsuit accusing it of violating consumer law by selling tickets for 8,000 flights that were subsequently canceled in mid-2022, leading to the sudden departure of CEO Alan Joyce.
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In his first public comments, since these allegations were made by the country's competition regulator in late August, Chairman Richard Goyder expressed confidence in the Qantas board and stated that key investors wished for him to remain in his role, as reported by the news website.
Goyder refrained from commenting extensively on the allegations, stating, "I can't say a lot about this at the moment because it's a legal case. But any suggestion that we took fees for no service is just wrong." The ABC report did not disclose the identities of the investors and consumers who have been demanding Goyder's resignation.
Goyder joined the board in November 2017 and was appointed chairman in October 2018. In a separate development earlier this week, Australia's highest court ruled that the airline had violated the law by laying off 1,700 ground staff and replacing them with contractors at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Goyder stated that Qantas has accepted the ruling and new CEO Vanessa Hudson will work towards resolving the case, as per ABC News. He added, "There was no idea when borders may open and courts actually held that we had sound commercial reasons for making the decision (about the layoffs)."