He wrote Qantas’ Project Sunrise off as a PR stunt. Now he runs it
After years in the planning, the airline’s head of international Cam Wallace is preparing to launch the ultra-long haul flights to London and New York.
Seven years ago, Cam Wallace dismissed Project Sunrise as a public relations stunt. Then a senior executive at Air New Zealand, Wallace remembers Qantas asking Boeing and Airbus – on Twitter – if they could build an aircraft capable of flying 22 hours.
“Three or four PR people sprinted to my office and said, ‘What’s this all about’,” Wallace recalls. “I told them it’s a PR stunt, nothing to worry about and in fact I told the board the same, with extreme confidence.”
Ayesha de KretserSenior reporterAyesha de Kretser is a senior reporter with The Australian Financial Review covering the aviation and tourism sectors. She has previously reported on banking, mining and commodity markets. Connect with Ayesha on Twitter. Email Ayesha at ayesha.dekretser@afr.com.au
