Busselton now has a better chance of being selected as the new home of Qantas’ pilot academy after Tamworth withdrew its bid.
Tamworth Regional Council announced on Wednesday morning that it had abandoned a second-round bid for a Qantas pilot academy and was partnering with Virgin Australia to create a new training centre.
Busselton remains in the running for the second Qantas pilot academy, facing competition from Alice Springs, Bendigo, Wagga, Dubbo, Launceston and Mackay.
Fairfax Media understands that Qantas is due to make a decision by the end of the year.
Last month, Busselton lost out to Toowoomba’s bid to host Qantas’ first regional pilot training centre, which will train 500 pilots a year with the airline investing $20 million.
Qantas Group Pilot Academy executive manager Wes Nobelius said it was great to see more airlines investing in pilot training.
“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.”
