Jake Nelson

The major renovations, announced in November, will be the first to T2 in more than 30 years and will include overhauls to check-in, bag drop, and security areas, with the aim of getting passengers from kerb to gate within 15 minutes. Construction is slated to begin on 1 May.

The 22-week project, announced last July, saw 4,870 engineered materials arresting system (EMAS) blocks installed at Queenstown, increasing its effective runway end safety area from 90 to 240 metres.

The proposed charter, which was introduced in December, had been flagged as part of the Aviation White Paper released in August. While Choice said it is a “welcome next step”, the organisation criticised it for being too vague and said it is not strong enough for its intended purpose.

Jones, previously Virgin’s chief customer and digital officer, was last month ruled out of the running to replace outgoing chief executive Jayne Hrdlicka after facing controversy over his role in the illegal outsourcing of Qantas ground workers during the pandemic.

Speaking at the Australian Institute of Company Directors’ Governance Summit on Tuesday, Mullen, who has led the Qantas board for around six months, said the airline’s aging fleet “should have been replaced earlier” and has led to a reputation for “crap” service.

The 14-day trip organised by Captain’s Choice, departing in February next year, will use a specially hired Qantas A330-300 to fly from Sydney to London on an “almost identical flight path to the one Qantas first wholly operated in 1947”.