By James Hall

Adelaide

(Australian Associated Press)

Kangaroo Island might be set for a tourism boost, with a major airport upgrade to enable more direct flights to the South Australian hot spot.

The federal government is providing $9 million to expand the airport’s runway and passenger terminal to accommodate larger flights from Melbourne and Sydney from mid-2017.

The investment is expected to return almost $30 million to the local economy and create about 250 jobs within five years, Cities Minister Jamie Briggs says.