Qantas to scale back projected growth of pilot academy at Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport
The impacts of COVID-19 have hit the aviation industry hard, and Qantas has confirmed the Wellcamp Airport pilot academy is no exception.
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Qantas will scale back the projected student numbers at its pilot training academy near Toowoomba Wellcamp Airport due to the effects of COVID-19 on the aviation industry, but says it still plans to grow enrolment.
The pilot academy, which opened in early 2020 after it was announced in 2018, currently has 87 students and Qantas had previously planned to have it at capacity within a few years.
But a spokeswoman said while it was still aiming to reach 250 students in the future, the airline had reduced the projected increases to enrolments.
“While the COVID-19 crisis has compelled us to make many changes across the business, the pilot academy remains a key part of the Qantas Group’s long-term strategy,” she said.
“We know flying will return to pre-pandemic levels and that we will ultimately grow again, as will the broader industry, so the demand for well-trained pilots will still be there.
“We’re continuing to work with our training provider, FTA, and the airport on long-term plans to grow the academy to train up to 250 students at the Toowoomba site each year.”
It is understood enrolments have also taken a short-term hit due to the Queensland border closure last year.
Qantas has also continued to put plans on hold for its second pilot academy in Mackay.
It comes as FTA COO Pierre Steyn confirmed the Wellcamp facility had been restructured in order to stay viable.
“We’ve continued training, but not to the levels that we were supposed to do pre-COVID,” Mr Steyn told the ABC this week.
“You control the cost to make sure the academy can survive during times when the student numbers and revenue is down.”
Toowoomba won the chance to host the pilot training academy, after the city and Mackay were short-listed by Qantas as the preferred destinations for its next flight school.
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