Wagga Council has welcomed a verbal agreement regarding a 99-year lease of Wagga airport. Photo: Wagga Wagga City Council.
Wagga Wagga City Council has received a verbal agreement from the Federal Government regarding its request for a 99-year lease of Wagga Wagga Airport.
The securing of the lease has been a major point of advocacy for Wagga Wagga City Council (WWCC) since 2024, with the previous 30-year lease originally set to expire in June this year.
WWCC secured a 12-month extension on the lease to June 2026.
The Royal Australian Air Force, the current owner of the airport, originally expressed interest in privatising the airport in 2023, which was met with opposition from WWCC and Member for Riverina Michael McCormack.
WWCC and Mr McCormack stated on multiple occasions a private airport was not in the best interest of the people of Wagga and the Riverina, citing increased flight fares and fewer flights in and out of the city as major concerns.
In June WWCC lodged its formal proposal for securing a 99-year lease after negotiating with the RAAF for more than 12 months.
Wagga Mayor Dallas Tout revealed the Federal Government verbally agreed to its proposal last week, but was still waiting on documentation to be finalised.
“I can confirm that we have been told verbally that the Federal Government have accepted our submission, so now we’re awaiting a document or a letter to arrive,” he said.
“We’re hoping then that that means our tenure of 50 plus 49 years, equalling a 99-year lease is acceptable, and that would be fantastic.
“Just the fact that they’ve accepted our submission, we’ve worked for a fair amount of time in conjunction with defence, in working through this submission and putting it together, if we are able to secure the tenure of the airport.
“That is not just a Wagga thing, that’s a regional legacy thing for generations that we’re able to keep the airport here in local government hands with community control.”
Mr McCormack applauded the outcome, stating it would now allow the delivery of infrastructure to improve the site.
“I am both delighted and relieved today to be standing here with the Wagga Wagga City Council, having secured a 99-year lease – 50-year lease, with a 49-year option for the Wagga Wagga Airport,” he said.
“This is so important, not just important for those people who are ratepayers, those people who use the airport for business, particularly for health, for tourism, for all those sorts of things, but also for the visitors who come to Wagga.
“Wagga airport is the gateway not just to our city, but to the Riverina region. And to have this finally resolved after many years of negotiations, is a good outcome for our city. It’s a good outcome for our ratepayers. We can now work on making sure that we get the right infrastructure at the airport.”
