Incoming Qantas chief executive Vanessa Hudson says the airline’s balance sheet is “stronger than it has ever been in our history”, providing options to manage aircraft orders and investor returns until the end of the decade.

The company has $10 billion of liquidity available to it – a collection of cash, undrawn debt, but mostly aircraft that Qantas could secure loans against – she said at its first investor day since 2019. Debts were below targets, with $650 million of the most expensive loans paid off in advance.