As owner-operator of the airport, Bathurst Regional Council will oversee a $3 million resurfacing project to ensure the runway continues to meet Civil Aviation Safety Authority standards.

The main runway will be off limits to all aircraft for six weeks from January 5, 2015, and Rex Airlines will be among the businesses affected by the closure.

Last resurfaced in 1966 and resealed in 1993, the main runway is in need of routine maintenance requiring a complete re-surfacing.

The second runway at the airport is not long enough to enable the safe operation of the commercial flights and, as such, the current daily passenger service operated by REX will not operate during the runway upgrade.

Panorama Airways operates survey, joy and charter flights out of Bathurst Airport, and owner Charlie Camileri said he would lose business during the closure.

“We’re going to have to move our operation, even though they’ve charged us a fortune in fees,” he said.

“There’s no talk of reimbursement of fees.”

Mr Camileri said while he will still be able to land his Tiger Moth aircraft at Bathurst Airport with the main runway closed, he will need to secure a new airport and hangars to continue operating his survey and charter flights.

His jet aircraft flights will have to be cancelled during the runway’s resurfacing.

Mr Camileri said he will be looking at relocating up to four aircraft to another airport to continue some of his business operations, and he expects it will be a challenge.

“It’s pretty difficult to get hangarage for a single aircraft,” he said.

Despite the potential losses to his business, Mr Camileri said the runway surface is getting older, and if left it “will get worse”.

Burke’s Transport owner Graeme Burke agreed the work was necessary. He said most “small single-engine aircraft” could use the smaller runway.

“It’s got to be rebuilt and you can’t rebuild it and keep it open,” he said.

Bathurst Business Chamber president Stacey Whittaker acknowledged the runway’s closure may affect some businesses, but said this was probably the best time of year for the work.

“Six weeks is a long time and there are certainly people that do fly regularly,” she said.

“I suppose the January time frame is certainly a quieter time of the year to do it.

“Unfortunately, it’s like the highway over the mountain – it’s a pain in the butt when it’s getting done, but it needs to happen.”

Rex Airlines will continue to run its summer schedule fights out of Orange during this time.

Bathurst Regional Council has advised normal flights will resume from February 15, 2015.