Tamworth, Armidale and other regional centres in the state have been plagued by cancelled and reduced flights, which the airline blames on the global pilot shortage.

The airline is seeking permission from the federal government to address an acute pilot shortage by temporarily bringing in a limited number of simulator instructors and experienced pilots from overseas.

The agreement would enable pilots to be admitted for a period beyond the existing two-year window permitted under the current skilled visa program.

QantasLink says attempts to encourage experienced aviators to move to Australia for contracts shorter than five years have proven uncompetitive in “what is a global market for these sought-after skills”.

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“The agreement would allow QantasLink to gradually restore capacity it has had to remove as a result of the shortage until its longer-term solutions – including the Qantas Group’s pilot academy – have time to kick in,” a QantasLink spokesperson said.

“QantasLink’s overseas recruitment is expected to focus on attracting up to 75 senior pilots and simulator instructors in the first year, with up to 55 per year as needed after that, for five years.

“These instructors are needed to supplement existing training teams to bring new pilots up to speed with the airline’s standards and to meet proficiency levels on the particular type of aircraft they will be flying for QantasLink.”

QantasLink CEO John Gissing said the company’s focus was to recruit Australian-based pilots and “that hasn't changed”.

“But the current skills shortage means we have to go overseas to find the instructors we need to keep bringing local pilots into QantasLink.”

Qantas says its yet-to-be-announced regionally-based pilot academy is an important part of its long-term solution.

Tamworth is considered one of the front runners in NSW, and perhaps the nation, to secure the $25-million facility, with council and local MP Kevin Anderson working closely with the state government’s to get its support.