THERE will be no shortage of Australian towns and cities putting their hand up to be home to a new pilot training academy proposed by Qantas chief Alan Joyce.
Mr Joyce, the airline’s chief executive, whetted the appetite of cities across Australia last week when he announced plans to spend up to $20 million on the project in the 2019 financial year.
Mr Joyce is also seeking additional financial support from government and will not doubt be encouraging a bidding war between the states hopeful of securing the new jobs.
“We are looking to each of the states and territories, not only on what incentive packages they typically provide to other companies and other industries doing similar things that would be available to the Qantas group, but what facilities they may have already because we will obviously need a functional regional airport,” Mr Joyce said last week.
“The investment initially for us will be up to $20 million and that will grow over time as we grow the school.”
It’s almost too good to be true for a city like Bathurst, so what can we bring to the table?
First and foremost, Bathurst can offer Qantas access to a burgeoning regional city that’s just three hours by road from the country’s major airport.
Bathurst has also earned a reputation as a forward-thinking city with a council committed to bringing new business to town.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
But the proposal has also come at a good time for our city.
As Bathurst Regional Council continues to develop plans for the Velocity Park motorsport precinct on Mount Panorama, the development of a pilot academy appears to have some synergies.
Both proposals would bring together some great engineering minds and both would add to the Smart City status we crave.
Perhaps the biggest hurdle, though, will the airport itself. While proximity to Sydney is generally seen as plus, that is not really the case when we are talking about aviation.
Bathurst Airport is already home to a major cadet training operation but the Bathurst-to-Sydney route is considered marginal at best for airline companies.
Qantas may well baulk at investing millions of dollars into an airport that will never be a major customer for its business.
That said, though, Bathurst should vigorously pursue this opportunity.
Our city has grown on the back of a “can do” development strategy and we’ve not been afraid to dream big. Sometimes, as we know, dreams do come true.