The Leader has learnt QantasLink has ramped up its maintenance sector at Tamworth Airport, with 25 new jobs to meet the number of additional aircraft that need to be serviced after the regional airline landed a big contract.

Over the next 18 months, the highly-skilled team will open a second hangar to service another 17 aircraft, including five Jetstar planes being used in the airline’s New Zealand’s regional network.

Tamworth MP Kevin Anderson said the aviation maintenance industry was Tamworth’s hidden gem.

“When you see many things being done offshore, to have something like this being done in regional NSW, I think it’s fantastic,” Mr Anderson said.

“It just shows what we’re capable of, the level of expertise and the fact that we can deliver. We can provide the very best practice in aircraft maintenance and we’ve got the staff to do it.

“In terms of regional growth and economic development, this is what we want to see.”

Tamworth mayor Col Murray said residents should be proud to see a local facility competing on a world stage.

“In this day and age, we see so much service provision sent overseas, so to see a business in our backyard become sustainable and demonstrate growth,”

QantasLink, who already employ about 100 people in Tamworth, engaged Tamworth’s Sigma Aerospace to source the 25 local engineers for the 18-month contract, which equates to an additional 70,000 labour hours.

The average turn around for a heavy maintenance service for an aircraft is 30 days.

The first Jetstar Dash 8 Q300’s service was completed on Friday, with the remaining four due to be completed by October. A dozen QantasLink Q400s will follow.