A PORSCHE wouldn't be parked on any old street corner and pilots at Tamworth Regional Airport don't see why their $200,000 investments are left to weather the great outdoors.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
As flight numbers return to pre-pandemic days and business begins to claw its way back at the airport, a group of pilots led by New England Aviation chief flying instructor Chad Summers have made a push for decent hangars to keep their toys in.
"Historically there hasn't been undercover parking for general aviation to store here, apart from parking our $200,000 investments in the open sun," he said.
"The need is there, we were lucky the council were receptive to the idea and saw merit in it; it's a no brainer, if you build infrastructure the business will follow."
When the bigger airlines are grounded as seen with the outbreak of COVID-19, there's a pool of private flyers who need yearly maintenance and flight reviews.
With investors ready to put money into 12 to 14 hangars at the airport, Mr Summers said the need is there.
"It provides a mainstay for employment at the airport, a constant cashflow and the ability to stay open in hard times," he said.
Efforts were made about two decades ago to establish hangars at the airport.
Rather than pay private landowners to store their planes, the hangars could become a further income stream for Tamworth Regional Council.
It provides a mainstay for employment at the airport, a constant cashflow and the ability to stay open in hard times.
- Chad Summers
Since COVID-19, business has started to pick up again and the hangars have been on the agenda for some time, Tamworth airport manager John Sommerlad said.
Read also:
"We went from four flights a week and we now have 17, the passenger volume is increasing one week after the next so we are headed in the right direction," he said.
"Obviously passenger numbers are a major source of income for the airport so when that increases it's a good outcome."
Flights to Tamworth were reduced earlier this year with the outbreak of COVID-19 and the closure of state and national borders and Virgin Australia pulled out of a multi-million dollar deal.