Alan Joyce to marry long-time partner

Australia’s highest paid CEO, Alan Joyce, will reportedly tie the knot with his long-time partner Shane Lloyd at a ceremony in Sydney next month.

Qantas CEO Alan Joyce will reportedly marry his partner, Shane Lloyd, at a ceremony in Sydney next month.

The couple, who have been together for more than 20 years, will tie the knot in Circular Quay at the Museum of Contemporary Art where Mr Joyce is a member of the board, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

It could be a lavish ceremony, given the Irish-born airline boss topped the list of Australia’s highest paid CEOs earlier this year. According to the Australian Council of Superannuation Investors, he pocketed a staggering $23,876,351 last year, which is more than 270 times the national average.

But the wedding has been a long time coming for Mr Joyce.

Both he and Mr Lloyd were prominent figures during the campaign for same-sex marriage in Australia in 2017, and Mr Joyce said it was a big relief when the Yes result was finally announced.

Mr Joyce said he was all tears after the 'Yes' announcement on November 15, 2017. Picture: Cole Bennetts/Getty Images

Seven million Australians voted Yes to same sex marriage after a postal survey in 2017. Picture: Jane Dempster/The Australian

“It was a big relief and there was just all the tears,” he told reporters in London during the opening of a Qantas lounge after the vote.

“It was an amazing occasion. I’m very proud of Australia. I’m very proud of the country that I’ve now live in. I was very proud of Ireland two years ago, but I was even prouder of Australia with this result.”

Mr Joyce joked at the time that Mr Lloyd hadn’t popped the question yet, but he hoped it would be soon.

“My partner hasn’t built up the courage to ask me yet! I’m still waiting for that, so hopefully,” he said.

The couple have been together for two decades. Picture: Supplied

The marriage comes at the end of a big year for Qantas.

Starting this month, it will begin testing groundbreaking new flights between Sydney and New York and Sydney and London. The epic 19-hour, non-stop routes are part of the airline’s ambitious long-haul project Operation Sunrise.

But the airline is also facing backlash after a spat with The Veronicas in September.

The twin sisters, Lisa and Jessica Origliasso, have vowed never to fly with the airline again after being “embarrassingly” booted off a Brisbane-bound flight following a disagreement with cabin crew.

According to Qantas, the pair “refused to follow crew instructions” and were deemed security risks.

But the sisters said they had yet to receive a clear reason from the airline.

“We have contacted Qantas four times now and we still don’t have a reason why we were removed off the flight,” they told The Project.