Incoming Qantas chairman Leigh Clifford took a parting shot at London's Heathrow airport as he prepared to leave the city he has called home for the best part of a decade and return to Australia.

Reflecting on his time in London at an Australian Business lunch, Mr Clifford added his voice to heavy criticism levelled at Heathrow, one of the world's busiest airports, which is beset by delays and congestion.

"I have to say, I think Heathrow is appalling," Mr Clifford said.

"I hope Terminal 5 will make a difference, but it's not about the physical infrastructure, it's about how you manage it."

Heathrow has come under fire for the dilapidated state of its infrastructure, overcrowding, long security queues and lost luggage.

Excessive waiting times at check-in and passport control are also major problems at the airport.

A giant new fifth terminal will open in March next year and is expected to cope with about 30 million passengers a year, enabling Heathrow to handle more flights than the 480,000 take-offs and landings currently allowed annually.

But the AU$9.7 billion project has faced its own problems in the form of protests by environmental groups.

Mr Clifford, 60, retired as chief executive of mining giant Rio Tinto at the end of April.

He will return to Australia next month to take up his post at Qantas - a company he said had impressed him with its focus on performance.

"I'm very much a new boy as far as Qantas goes," Mr Clifford said.

"When you're selling a service, it's what happens from the moment you step out of the cab to the moment you step into the cab.

"Most of the frustrations that people endure don't happen in the aluminium tube (plane) ... It's the total experience that counts in the airline business."

Mr Clifford said Qantas was well positioned with its program of fleet renewal.

The airline has ordered 65 Boeing 787s, but the first arrivals - expected next August - have been delayed because of production problems.

Qantas has options and purchase rights on 50 more 787s.

It has also bought 20 Airbus A380s, the world's largest jet, which recently arrived in Sydney from Singapore on its first commercial flight.

The A380 is expected to be popular for the Kangaroo Route between Sydney and London.

One of the super jumbo's main benefits is it will allow airlines to carry more passengers into congested airports, such as London and Los Angeles, without additional flights.

Mr Clifford recognised that, like all businesses, the airline industry is extremely competitive and he could foresee consolidation.

"I imagine, much like the mining industry, we'll see consolidation in the airline industry," he said.