Senator’s pitch for airline academy

NEW Tasmanian Senator Steve Martin wants Australian airline Qantas to set up a pilot academy in Tasmania.

Senator Martin will push for the plan with Qantas at a meeting on Thursday after he met Devonport Airport general manager Dave Race last week to discuss it.

“I will be meeting with Qantas executives to promote the establishment of the Qantas Group Pilot Academy in Devonport from 2019,” Senator Martin said.

“My talks with Mr Race indicate that the academy would have wide-reaching benefits for Devonport, Tasmania and Qantas.

“For Devonport, an academy would bring substantial economic and social benefits to the region with 100 pilots expected in the initial intake.

“Up to 500 pilots are expected to be trained annually at the academy once it is established.

“For Qantas, the benefits a Devonport-based academy would provide include a regional facility that is ideally placed for navigational training, the region has adequate infrastructure to support the development of the flight-training academy, and the airline’s objectives would not be hampered by the commercial capacity of the airport.”

In February Qantas announced it would set up a pilot academy in regional Australia to train up to 500 pilots a year.

The Qantas Group Pilot Academy is expected to open next year and is likely to be established near an existing regional airfield to provide easy access to uncontested airspace.

An initial investment of up to $20 million will be made to establish the new facility.

Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce said the airline would engage with federal, state and territory governments to discuss possible locations.