With the benefit of hindsight, this is roughly what Alan Joyce should have said on 4 Nov.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Initial inspections of the damage suggest that a turbine disk has burst and fragments of the disk have penetrated the wing and fuselage. It is too early to take a view on the root cause of the engine failure. But it is essential to appreciate that this type of failure is a very rare event that should be viewed in the context of the operating history of the engine and the regulatory environment that ensures safety in air travel. There is no indication of a fleet-wide safety issue but we will work closely with the regulators, Airbus and Rolls Royce during the ongoing investigation to ensure continued safe operations. Despite this setback, we continue to have every confidence in the A380 powered by the Rolls Royce Trent 900. We will continue flying the A380.
Thank you.
What he actually did was take fright and panic, cost his airline a huge amount of lost revenue and ended up in court proceedings with his engine supplier. He might just loose his job over this. It is just as bad that the press applauded him for it.