Bought $1,000 of Qantas shares 10 years ago? Here's how much dividend income you've received

The Qantas Airways Limited (ASX: QAN) share price has had a turbulent existence on the ASX over the last decade.

The national carrier was hit hard by the global financial crisis, only managing to regain its footing a few years before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Still, long-term investors have likely been happy with their holding. The Qantas share price has taken off over the last decade, lifting a whopping 287% since 28 December 2012.

Back then, $1,000 likely would have seen an investor buy 632 shares in the airline, paying $1.58 apiece.

Today, that parcel would command a value of $3,861.52. The Qantas share price closed Friday's session at $6.11.

For comparison, the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) has lifted around 55% over the last 10 years.

Less fortuitous have been dividend-focused Qantas investors. Here's how much passive income a long-term shareholder has likely received from the airline share.

How much have Qantas shares paid in dividends in 10 years?

Here are all the dividends Qantas has offered since December 2012:

As the above chart alludes, Qantas didn't pay dividends between 2009 and 2016. It then halted its offerings amid the emergence of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the company hasn't operated in the green since the financial year 2020, wherein its underlying profits tumbled 91%.

Over the last decade, Qantas shares have paid out 63 cents per share to investors.

That means our figurative $1,000 investment would have yielded $398.16 in dividend income over its life. That's on top of a significant capital gain.

Long-term investors also likely benefited from a capital return – worth $505 million, equalling 23 cents per share – undergone by Qantas in 2015, as well as numerous on-market share buybacks conducted over the years.

And there's apparently good news on Qantas' horizon. The airline expects to return to profit in the first half of financial year 2023.