BENDIGO is now one of seven regional cities being considered for a Qantas Pilot Academy after Tamworth instead chose to enter a partnership with Virgin Australia.
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Tamworth Regional Council announced the deal with Virgin on Wednesday morning following a closed-doors council meeting on Tuesday.
Tamworth was believed to be the frontrunner for the second Qantas Pilot Academy, given it recently lost its contract for Australian Defence Force pilot training and has existing infrastructure in place.
The decision leaves Bendigo to compete with Alice Springs, Busselton, Dubbo, Launceston, Mackay and Wagga Wagga for the academy. More than 60 cities initially put forward a proposal.
Toowoomba was announced as the first location for a Qantas academy in September.
Qantas Group Pilot Academy executive manager Wes Nobelius said it was positive news that further pilot academies would be established in regional Australia.
“It’s great to see more airlines investing in training new pilots, especially given the global demand projections. It’s also great news for Tamworth and regional Australia more broadly,” he said.
“We’ve already announced our first pilot academy location at Toowoomba and are progressing a second location from a list of seven remaining shortlisted cities.”
A final decision is expected to be made before the end of this year.
Qantas Pilot Group Academy executives visited Bendigo in July to inspect the facilities at Bendigo Airport, as well as the city’s capacity to handle an influx of trainee pilots.
The pilot academy will host up to 100 students in the first year, and could rise to 500 per year. Qantas believes the academies are essential to address growing demand for pilots across the world.
Criteria includes runway length, a minimum of 300 days per year suitable for flying and uncongested airspace.
City of Greater Bendigo chief executive officer Craig Niemann earlier said Bendigo fulfilled all criteria and was confident of a successful outcome.
- with Northern Daily Leader
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