Flights to Warrnambool 'critical' for growth, says mayor

Cr Blain said a service was needed not only to encourage more visitors to travel to the city, but to allow industries to grow.

"Moving forward we would really like a service to come back to Warrnambool," he said.

"It would also attract professionals to the city by cutting down the commute time."

On Saturday, The Standard revealed the city was desperate to attract doctors, with one practice offering a $25,000 sign-on bonus.

Warrnambool City Council is investigating how much funding is needed to upgrade the runway at the Warrnambool airport.

This would allow the city council to lobby for funding to lengthen and strengthen the main runway to enable larger aircraft to land.

Cr Blain's comments come as the state government revealed there would be daily flights from China to Melbourne.

Sichuan Airlines will fly non-stop between Chengdu and Melbourne every day by September 2024.

Warrnambool Airport Advisory Committee chairman Stephen Lucas said he hoped this may encourage an airline to again offer flights from Melbourne to Warrnambool.

He said he believed there would be interest from Chinese visitors in a daily service to allow them to take in the sights of Warrnambool and the Great Ocean Road.

"Asian tourists are typically time poor because they come for a short time," Mr Lucas said.

"They want to go to all the spots of interest in a short period of time so I think flying would be an attractive option for them."

Mr Lucas said a lack of flights to the city was "a missing transport link".

But he said any airline would only offer flights if they were commercially viable.

"They would need to ensure they have enough people wanting to fly to Warrnambool on a regular basis," he said.

Mr Lucas said he also believed flights from other capital cities to Warrnambool would boost tourism for the region.

He said flights from Sydney to Bendigo had proved very popular for Qantas Link.

Sharp Airlines called time on its Melbourne to Warrnambool flights in June 2019.

At the time the airline said the service would stop due to low patronage.

Mr Lucas told The Standard last month funding for a major upgrade of the city's airport would be needed within a decade.

Regional Capital Australia (RCA) is lobbying for funding for rural airports.

RCA is calling on the federal government to provide ongoing funding for the regulatory costs in running airports, which account for 12 per cent of total expenditure, along with upgrades to regional airports and a long-term plan for the regional aviation network.

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