This airline CEO is challenging Airbus and Boeing to step up their game

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce oversaw the airline's return to profitability with record profits in 2016 and 2017.
In August, Joyce challenged Airbus and Boeing to develop a new ultra-long-range jet to connect Australia with Europe and North America.
For now, Joyce sees the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner as a catalyst for future growth, but there's still a role for the A380.
Qantas is not looking to replace it regional fleet at the moment but it is observing the market.
Joyce believes his airline's sterling safety record can be attributed to its willingness to put safety before money.

Qantas Group CEO Alan Joyce is one of the most accomplished and controversial airline chief executives in the business. Since taking over the top job at Qantas in 2008, the charismatic Irishman has been the catalyst behind the Australian national carrier's return to profitability.

In 2016, Qantas Group reported a profit of more than $1.2 billion, the highest in the company's 97-year history. In 2017, Qantas followed up with the second most profitable year in company history, reporting more than $1 billion in profits.

This marked a drastic turnaround from just a few years earlier in 2014 when Qantas lost more than $2.8 billion.

What followed was drastic series of restructuring measures instituted by Joyce and his team. This included splitting up Qantas' domestic and international business as well as a reduction in staff, and capacity. Low oil prices also helped the turnaround along.

In August, Joyce and Qantas issued a challenge to Airbus and Boeing called Project Sunrise. The initiative asked the two aviation giants to develop a special ultra-long distance airliner by 2022. One that will be capable of not only flying non-stop between its hubs in the Southeast of Australia and destinations such as London, Paris, and New York but do so profitably with a full payload.

If successful, Qantas could cut the travel time to New York by up three hours and travel to London by as much as four hours.

Recently, Joyce sat down with Business Insider on board his airline's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The conversation touched upon Qantas' new fleet of Dreamliners, the future of its Airbus A380, Qantas' interest in the Bombardier C Series, and the airline's safety record.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner versus the Airbus A380

"They're brilliant aircraft. Anyone who has them wants more of them," Joyce said of the Boeing. "We also have Fokker F100s we use on low-utilization routes. So we're not in any rush to replace either of those fleets. They're going to have some time before it goes there. "