Alan Joyce has returned to public life to launch an impassioned defence of his tarnished legacy as Qantas chief executive.

At an aviation conference in Sydney on Thursday, Joyce broke from his near two-year hiatus from the national business stage to stress the industry’s need to take further steps to keep its social licence.

But he skirted around his controversial, illegal sacking of more than 1800 workers during the Covid-19 pandemic in a move a court ruled was designed to curb union bargaining power in wage negotiations.

Days out from Qantas copping an expected nine-figure fine for the sackings, Joyce trumpeted his ability to keep the flag carrier afloat in unprecedented times.

“But here’s the real insight: Resilience isn’t a reaction … it’s a decision made years in advance, often when it’s uncomfortable, even unpopular,” he said.

“Qantas was the only major Australian airline not to go bankrupt during or after the pandemic … that wasn’t luck, that was resilience.”

Virgin Australia hit voluntary administration in 2020 as it struggled to manage billions of dollars of debt before private equity firm Bain Capital gave the carrier a lifeline.

Cash-strapped carrier Rex went into administration in 2024, while budget challenger Bonza folded.

Joyce seemed amused by media attention surrounding his appearance — which included being on the front page of a national newspaper — but quipped that it at least meant “[US President] Donald Trump didn’t do anything weird last night”.

He said airlines must take more climate action, including building a sustainable aviation fuel industry to “transform the environmental footprint of flight”.

“If we don’t, we risk losing public trust, regulatory permission and, ultimately, our social licence to operate,” he said.

“This isn’t fringe, it’s the future and it’s grounded in a very human concern for sustainability  and intergenerational fairness.”

Joyce quit Qantas in September 2023 – two months before his scheduled departure – after a tumultuous end to his tenure.

The airline has since agreed to set up a $120 million compensation fund for its wrongly sacked workers after reaching a deal with the Transport Workers Union.

On Monday, the Federal Court will hand down its fine for the breach.

Qantas also sold tickets to cancelled flights over several years, triggering more legal turmoil and a $100 million fine after it was sued by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

The airline trimmed millions of dollars from Joyce’s departing pay packet, while other executives and directors also faced a cut amid the brand turbulence.

-AAP