Toowoomba and Mackay in the running to land Qantas pilot training academy

QUEENSLAND could soon be home to a multimillion-dollar Qantas pilot training academy, with both Toowoomba and Mackay being named by the airline as potential sites.

Wagner chairman John Wagner at Wellcamp Airport, Toowoomba. Picture: Glenn Hunt/The Australian

QUEENSLAND could soon be home to a multimillion-dollar Qantas pilot training academy, with both Toowoomba and Mackay being named by the airline as potential sites.

Proposals to house the academy, due to open in 2019 with up to 100 students enrolled in its first year, have been shortlisted to nine regional cities across the country from more than 60 applications.

Toowoomba’s Wellcamp Airport developer and co-owner John Wagner said he was excited to have made the shortlist and, though it would be competitive, believed Wellcamp was in strong contention.

“We have the newest, most modern airport in the country,” he said. “We don’t have a great deal of air-traffic, it’s uncongested, and we’ve got four or five satellite airfields in close proximity ... which means they can go out and train many aircraft at once.”

He also cited Toowoomba’s weather, nearby military air space, strong aviation community and its liveability as reasons Qantas should consider Wellcamp Airport, which opened in late 2014 and was the first new public airport in Australia in 50 years.

Qantas plans to announce a final decision in the third quarter of this year.

Qantas group pilot academy executive manager Wes Nobelius said there could be a second academy if the demand was there. “We think there could be enough demand from the broader industry for us to train up to 500 pilots a year, and to do that we’re likely to need two separate academies because of the practical realities of trying to do that much training in a single location.”

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said Queensland had distinct advantages over the other states. “Toowoomba and Mackay have strong regional communities, offering great lifestyle opportunities, excellent supply capabilities and established infrastructure networks with easy connectivity both nationally and internationally,” she said.

THE SHORTLIST

Alice Springs NT

Bendigo VIC

Busselton WA

Dubbo NSW

Launceston TAS

Mackay QLD

Tamworth NSW

Toowoomba QLD

Wagga Wagga NSW