Qantas International chief executive Alison Webster has resigned from the airline, with 24 April set as her last day.

The airline says that Narendra Kumar, who is overseeing planning for the airline’s long-haul fleet, has been appointed as acting chief executive of the international operation until a permanent appointment is made.

Webster took on the role in November 2017, replacing Gareth Evans who was appointed as chief executive of Qantas’s budget unit, Jetstar. Prior to that, she headed up Qantas’s freight, catering and airports units.

Webster has been a key driver of the airline’s “Project Sunrise” initiative, which challenged Airbus and Boeing to build an aircraft that can operate nonstop from Australia’s east coast to Europe and the US east coast.

An order decision on which aircraft – likely between the Boeing 777-8 and the proposed Airbus A350-1000ULR – will fit the requirement is expected this year. That process is unlikely to be affected by the change in leadership at the international unit.

Source: Cirium Dashboard