Mayor Greg Conkey said the facility, which would see up to 500 pilots trained, would be “great for Wagga”.

“There’s a whole variety of reasons why Wagga is a standout applicant for this facility,” Cr Conkey said. “We have the educational facilities through Charles Sturt University, we’ve got unrestricted airspace, a tower that can be manned without a lot of effort and we’ve already got Qantaslink services operating. Wagga also has a lifestyle that’s second-to-none, health, education, affordable housing and we’re the biggest regional centre in NSW.”

A Qantas spokeswoman said a shortlist of potential sites would be announced by the end of the month.

“We’re really pleased with the response we’ve had from local communities and state governments around Australia,” she said. “More than 55 regional cities have put forward a proposal to be home to our new group pilot academy. Over the next few weeks we’ll be reviewing these responses to key selection criteria before a shortlist is announced towards the end of this month.”

While there was stiff competition, Cr Conkey said council was “hopeful” of being successful.