The city council has a two-and-a-half-year window to transition the Yarpturk facility from a registered airport to a certified airport.

But just what needs to be done, how much it will cost and who will pay for it remains unclear.

The city council has been contacted for comment.

Moyne Shire councillors on Tuesday voted to support the airport reference group in transitioning, after Cr Jim Doukas put forward a notice of motion which warned if there was a delay in moving to a certified airport it would be "extremely expensive".

And if the airport was not certified, it could mean there would be a "severe curtailment or relocation of air ambulance fixed wing services and HEMS4 services".

Commercial operations in and out of Warrnambool could also be "severely curtailed", tourist flights and training flights cut back and offshore helicopter operations would have to be relocated elsewhere.

Cr Doukas' motion also warned that the refuelling installation would also be put in jeopardy which would further reduce activity at the airport.

Failure to move to a certified airport also raised safety issues, the motion says, because there would be no runway inspections and no area navigation used for instrument approach in bad weather and at night time.

The new rules, which were announced late last year by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, aim to make all airports safer.

Cr Doukas said the transition would keep the airport up to date and as "modern as possible".

"If it didn't become certified, there would be a serious affect on the air ambulance, the HEMS4 helicopter and offshore helicopters," he said.

Cr Doukas also said that with increased activity along the coast, there would be more "bigger and better" helicopters coming to the airport.

There was also interest from one of the helicopter companies in taking over a hangar at the airport, he said.

Cr Doukas also said he believed there were also plans for the Peterborough airport to become a certified airport.

Moyne chief executive officer Bill Millard said the change to categories of airports meant that you were either smaller like Port Fairy's airport or you had to transition to a certified airport.

Warrnambool's current status as a registered airport would cease to be a category.

Mr Millard said Moyne would write a letter of support to the airport reference group.

Mayor Daniel Meade said the airport, which was located in Moyne Shire but run by the Warrnambool council, was currently underutilised.

"We look forward to any opportunities to grow the use," he said.

Cr Mick Wolfe said the upgrade would be an improvement at the site and keep the facility running.

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