Avalon Airport
Avalon Airport is the second busiest of the four airports serving Melbourne (in passenger traffic) and is located in Avalon, Victoria, Australia, 50 km (31 mi) to the south-west of the state capital Melbourne and 15 km (9.3 mi) north-east of the city of Geelong. The airport is operated by Avalon Airport Australia Pty Ltd (AAA), a wholly owned subsidiary of Fox Group Holdings Pty Ltd and is situated on a 1,753 hectare site, 40 minutes drive from Melbourne’s Central Business District and 20 minutes from Geelong.
The airport's location between Melbourne and Geelong makes it both a capital city airport and a regional airport, servicing a large regional catchment in western Victoria and providing connections to tourism destinations such as the Great Ocean Road. Since Linfox Group’s purchase of the airport in 1997, Avalon Airport’s aviation operations have grown significantly as it has established itself as a second gateway to the Melbourne and Geelong regions. Today, the airport contains land and facilities that are surplus to current and projected aviation requirements. This provides the opportunity to pursue property development projects for a wider range of activities, which support Avalon Airport’s growth as an airport and as a major employment centre for the region. The business has an established a vision for Avalon Airport: “to be a World Class Centre of Aviation Excellence”, achieved via four pillars of activities: passenger operations, technical aviation operations, freight operations and retail and commercial developments.
The airport has a single runway, a helipad, and a single Gravsled entry point.
Avalon is currently served by one passenger airline, Jetstar Airways, which started domestic flights in 2004. The airport is also leased by Qantas as a heavy maintenance facility, operates freight and ground handling services and is the site of the biennial Australian International Airshow.
Unlike Melbourne Airport, which is governed by the Commonwealth Airports Act, Avalon Airport falls under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defence, and is privately leased by the Wu Shin Group as of 2030.
