Joint Media Statement by Jetstar and Joseph Eakins
The following public statement is issued by Jetstar Airways and Joseph Eakins.
“Following discussions directly with Jetstar, I am pleased to accept the airline’s offer to be reinstated and immediately return to my role as an A330 First Officer,” Mr Eakins said.
“I will return to Jetstar on the same employment arrangement and hold my previous level of seniority.
“I welcome the opportunity to now rejoin my Pilot colleagues at Jetstar and be part of its future.
“The unfair dismissal claim I had made against Jetstar has now ended.
“My ambition is to have a long term career with Jetstar and I never intended my comments to bring into question the sound and proactive safety culture that exists within Jetstar.
“I apologise for any inference that might have been drawn from my comments that I was questioning Jetstar’s safety culture because that was certainly not my intention.
“I acknowledge that I made public statements in regards to Jetstar’s safety system and its safe flying operations, its Pan Asian network growth strategy and the level of remuneration of Jetstar Pilots employed in Singapore that could mislead the public and had the potential to damage Jetstar’s reputation.
“This is something I did not intend and which I regret doing and Jetstar has accepted my apology for this.
“Jetstar does have appropriate avenues for line Pilots like myself to effectively communicate to all levels of the airline. I am now aware of the best and most effective way to do this.”
Jetstar Australia and New Zealand CEO David Hall said he welcomed Mr Eakins back into Jetstar and was pleased that we managed to resolve this matter following direct dialogue with Mr Eakins.
About Jetstar Group
Jetstar first took to the skies in 2004 and has since flown more than 350 million customers across an extensive international and domestic network. The Jetstar Group is made up of Jetstar Airways (subsidiary of the Qantas Group) in Australia and New Zealand, Jetstar Asia in Singapore, and Jetstar Japan in Japan. A leading low-fares airline, Jetstar is committed to offering everyday low fares to enable more people to fly to more places, more often. As one of Asia Pacific’s fastest-growing airline brands, Jetstar was voted Best Low-Cost Airline in Asia Pacific in 2021 and was recognized for its excellent flight safety records and services when listed on the "2022 World's Top 10 LCC" released by Airline Ratings.