Qantas boss Alan Joyce has fended off criticism of the airline's profit and concerns over high ticket prices, saying he expects international fares to fall.
Mr Joyce on Monday faced a tough parliamentary committee hearing examining the cost-of-living crisis.
Qantas on Thursday posted a record pre-tax profit of $2.47 billion for the past financial year, after recording a loss of almost $2 billion the year before.
"There’s lots of criticism of corporate profits at the moment, due in large part to the cost-of-living pressures happening in parallel and we understand that," Mr Joyce said.
Coalition senators asked the airline chief whether Qantas had colluded with the government to block competition from Qatar Airways, which was rejected in a bid for extra flights.
Despite both airlines being members of the Oneworld alliance, Qantas opposed the Qatar plan.
Mr Joyce said the airline made representations to the government, with a letter sent in October.
But he said Australia had one of the most open markets in the world.
Greater capacity being brought on by Singapore Airlines and China Southern would "bring down airfares quite considerably" in 2024, he added.
The airline is facing a possible class action over flights cancelled during COVID-19, but the committee was told Qantas had refunded $3 billion worth of travel credits.
However, there were $370 million worth of unclaimed credits, set to expire at the end of 2023.
The committee heard media campaigns, advertising and text messages were being used to encourage people to claim the credits and get the balance to zero by the end of December.
Labor senator Tony Sheldon told Mr Joyce during the inquiry his company was the most complained about in Australia.
"This is one of the most discredited companies ... on its record of complaints and you're saying you deserve every dollar you've received," Senator Sheldon said.
Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones earlier said the government wanted to ensure it was driving down the cost of airline tickets in Australia, but not at the expense of the industry.
"Having a national airline that occasionally post a profit is not a bad-news story, (it) is actually a good news story," Mr Jones told reporters.
Putting forward solutions to lower ticket prices, Mr Joyce called for a sustainable aviation fuel industry which would reduce emissions and be a huge opportunity for jobs and economic growth.
"It would reduce the impact of big swings in oil prices and would help bridge a significant gap in Australia’s energy independence," he said.
Sustainable aviation fuel was the "most significant tool airlines have to decarbonise".
The outgoing airline boss said increased airport pricing would prove a "major cost pressure" for the Qantas Group.
"The regulatory regime that governs the relationship between airports and airlines isn’t working," he told the hearing.
As the government prepares to release its aviation white paper in 2024, Mr Joyce said policies were needed to help with efficient resolution of commercial disputes between airlines and airports.
Liberal frontbencher Anne Ruston said passengers could not take any comfort from Mr Joyce's appearance.
"There are some very big questions not just to be answered by Qantas but to be answered by the government," she told the ABC.
