TAMWORTH's historic deal with Virgin airlines to secure a pilot training academy for the city is a crucial step closer to take-off.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It was almost in complete contrast to the original announcement back in October, when the council spectacularly jettisoned itself out of the closely fought race for a regional Qantas flying academy, opting for Virgin instead.
General manager Paul Bennett shared a relatively low-key message with the councillors mid-way through Tuesday's ordinary meeting and said Virgin was less than 48 hours away from signing the final contract.
READ MORE:
The news, away from the scores of media and local business people who flocked to the October announcement, came after an inconspicuous question from Glenn Inglis on when the council would see the multi-million dollar assistance for the deal promised by the state government.
Mr Bennett was going to refrain from telling the council until after the meeting, but he couldn't hold off.
"We've finalised negotiations with Virgin and I believe they'll be formally signing-off within 48 hours," Mr Bennett said.
Once it is approved by the foreign investment review board, the funds should released by the state government to allow refurbishment to begin in the old BAE Systems facilities.
Tamworth Regional Council and the state government bought the facilities in December, but refused to tell the community how much it cost.
It is understood Virgin will lease the facilities from the council for an initial period of ten years.