Tamworth Regional Council announced on Wednesday morning that it had abandoned a second-round bid for a Qantas pilot academy and was partnering with Virgin Australia to create a new training centre.

Wagga remains in the running for the second Qantas pilot academy, facing competition from Alice Springs, Bendigo, Busselton, Dubbo, Launceston and Mackay.

The Daily Advertiser understands that Qantas is due to make a decision by the end of the year.

Last month, Wagga lost out to Toowoomba’s bid to host Qantas’ first regional pilot training centre, which will train 500 pilots a year with the airline investing $20 million.

Qantas Group Pilot Academy executive manager Wes Nobelius said it was great to see more airlines investing in pilot training.

“We’ve already announced our first pilot academy location at Toowoomba and are progressing a second location from a list of seven remaining shortlisted cities,” he said.

“We really appreciate the time and effort invested by Tamworth Regional Council in being part of our selection process.

Qantas will continue to have a strong presence in the Tamworth market with up to 29 weekly return services and more than 100 employees on the ground.”

Wagga mayor Greg Conkey said council staff had put a lot of hard work into the city’s bids for the first and second Qantas academies and it was good to hear the chances had improved.

“I look forward to hearing the announcement when Qantas makes their decision,” he said.

“We knew Tamworth put in a strong bid with the infrastructure around its airport and we heard they were talking to other parties but their deal still came as a surprise to me.

“Wagga has put in a very professional bid involving Charles Sturt University and we’re looking at acquiring hangars and possibly land for the academy to use.”

Cr Conkey said Wagga had the potential to reach markets in Asia, through CSU, which are driving the global demand for new pilots.

Airline industry estimates suggest that 790,000 more pilots will be required around the world over the next 20 years with around one third of them based in the Asia Pacific region.