The Leader can reveal the federal government will provide $2 million to upgrade the landing system at the Tamworth Regional Airport.

The funding was made available through the Community Development Grants program after months of lobbying from Tamworth Regional Council and New England MP Barnaby Joyce. 

The instrument landing system (ILS) provides pilots with the ability to safely land if they are unable to visually see the runway by transmitting radio signals.

Mayor Col Murray said such a system sets Tamworth apart from “almost all other large regional airports in Australia”.

“There are very few airports that have the ILS installed and that gives us a really significant business advantage that other airports don’t have,” he said.

“But they are expensive to own and maintain and ours is due for an upgrade, it has been there quite a while.

“Having the federal government fund that has provided assistance to council to pursue other business opportunities, if we hadn’t had the funding we would have had to fund it ourselves.”

Cr Murray said opportunities that could come out of the upgrade would include expressions of interest from major pilot training businesses that would fill the gap when the Australian Defence Force Flying School departs the city in 2019.

Mr Joyce believed the funding – a $2 million election commitment – would set the airport up for a prosperous future.

“This will allow us to expand the training facility there when BAE move out,” Mr Joyce said. “A lot of people want to use those facilities.”

Mr Joyce said the upgrade would make the city’s airport facility look more attractive to perspective tenants to occupy the flight school site.

Regional Development Minister Fiona Nash said regional airports were a gateway to employment, and it was exciting “to deliver new jobs and opportunities to the people of New England”.