It's obviously far more complex than most of us could understand here but there are some basic core reasons as to why we find a once proud Airline now on it's knees so can a new CEO fix/change that?
There are many things that need to be done by the business to repair the airline and, yes, reducing staff is amongst these. The issue is the current CEO and senior management team have lost the ability to take the employees with them on the journey. They are just not trusted or respected and the serious actions required for Qantas needs both of these.
I do not necessarily believe the next CEO has to come from an airline background but they need to have a demonstrated history of turning around a troubled business and engaging staff as part of this. The executives the new CEO hires are the ones who should have the history of running successful airlines.
Geoff Dixon had a good management team under him with a combination of airline experience, financial expertise and youthful exuberance. The problem is they chose the wrong one to replace him given the issues that were emerging in the business at the time and since.