He did give a bit of an explanation about this at the Hong Kong GGL event. It didn't come across as egotistical in the way he presented it, and I'm paraphrasing heavily, but basically his stance was that he managed via IAG to turn around the profitability of two airlines that were basket cases at the time he started, he greatly improved the performance of a third airline, he has, however, unfinished business with his home airline. At the first attempt before IAG he was restricted in what he could do, now those restrictions (presumably access to loads of cash and reduced state interference) no longer apply.