However, mayor Reg Kidd, said Orange had a strong case thanks to our location.

Qantas has announced the key criteria for its academy where up to 500 pilots would be trained annually from next year.

Applications close on June 8 with the winning city to be announced in the next few months.

Cr Kidd said Orange easily met the criteria which included having an adequate runway, hangars for up to 50 aircraft, weather conditions suitable for flying at least 300 days a year, controlled and uncontrolled airspace, hi-tech student classrooms with facilities for flight training simulators and student accommodation.

“We’ve got all of that stuff,” he said.

Cr Kidd said the ex-Hazelton Airlines flight centre was available and extra hangars could be built to ensure there was enough capacity for Qantas’ needs.

“We have more than adequate accommodation. There are areas we could be looking at, at Charles Sturt University and units, etc, around Orange.”

Cr Kidd said proximity to the Blue Mountains and to flat plains presented a range of options for flight training.

“Because we are pretty central it is easy to get into different sorts of flying conditions,” he said.

“We’re close to Sydney and Canberra and I would imagine the central point pilots would come from would be Sydney or Canberra.”

He said several former Qantas pilots had moved to Orange and the council would be seeking input from some of them for its bid.

Qantas Group Pilot Academy executive manager Wes Nobelius said the process would be competitive.