Informed on Monday that his position had been made redundant, Mr Hodgen said the move was "somewhat of a surprise to me".

"I wasn't expecting the redundancy to be made so I'm still sort of coming to terms with that," he said.

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"But I can look back on my time in the position in Launceston with great affection."

Launceston Airport is owned by Australian Pacific Airports Corporation, which also owns Melbourne Airport.

It's understood there are no further redundancies planned at the airport at this stage. Approximately 30 staff are employed by Australian Pacific Airports Launceston.

Mr Hodgen, 63, has spent 42 years in the aviation industry, working both for airports and airlines.

Originally from Belfast, Mr Hodgen got his start as a graduate trainee with British Airways in 1978.

He's also worked in a senior role with British Midland, formerly the UK's secondary carrier, and has been head of ground operations for Jetstar.

Seven years ago, Mr Hodgen came to Launceston Airport on secondment. Six months later, he was general manager.

"That's undoubtedly been the highlight of my career," he said.

"The biggest thing has been the way the community embraced me and the challenge I took up to really give the city an airport that it could be proud of and to create an airport that was going to be a real standout and set the bar as far as regional airports were concerned."

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Mr Hodgen, who has a wife and four adult children, oversaw extensive infrastructure upgrades at the airport during his tenure there, including the construction of a new entrance and car parks, the resurfacing of the runway and a significant revamp of the terminal.

Like almost all airports amid the coronavirus pandemic, Mr Hodgen said Launceston's had been significantly downsized in terms of its operations.

Launceston Airport chief Andrew Gardiner said the decision to scrap the general manager role was made with "sadness and regret".

"Throughout Mr Hodgen's tenure, Launceston Airport has consistently punched above its weight," he said. "We are extremely grateful to Paul and his team, and we thank him deeply for the contribution he has made to our business overall."

"The timing of this announcement has been influenced by business conditions in the Launceston market being severely hampered by the COVID-19 pandemic in its current form.

"However our business as a whole needs to adapt to what will be a protracted crisis that will reshape the global aviation sector."

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