Avalon Airport is an

international airport An international airport is an airport with customs and border control facilities enabling passengers to travel between countries around the world. International airports are usually larger than domestic airports and they must feature longer r ...

located in

Avalon Avalon (; la, Insula Avallonis; cy, Ynys Afallon, Ynys Afallach; kw, Enys Avalow; literally meaning "the isle of fruit r appletrees"; also written ''Avallon'' or ''Avilion'' among various other spellings) is a mythical island featured in the ...

in the

City of Greater Geelong The City of Greater Geelong is a local government area in the Barwon South West region of Victoria, Australia, located in the western part of the state. It covers an area of and, had a population of 271,057 as of the 2021 Australian census. It ...

Victoria, Australia Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

. While located outside the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/ Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a metro ...

metropolitan area, it is the second busiest of the four airports serving the state capital in passenger traffic. It is located north-east of the Geelong CBD and south-west of the

Melbourne CBD The Melbourne central business district (also known colloquially as simply "The City" or "The CBD") is the city centre and main urban area of the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, centred on the Hoddle Grid, the oldest part of the city l ...

. The airport is operated by Avalon Airport Australia Pty Ltd, a subsidiary of

Linfox Linfox is an Australian transport and logistics and supply chain business founded in 1956 by Lindsay Fox. History Linfox was established in 1956 by Lindsay Fox as Lindsay Fox Cartage with one truck in Melbourne. In 1958, a contract with Schwep ...

. Avalon is currently served by passenger airline

Jetstar Jetstar Airways Pty Ltd, operating as Jetstar, is an Australian low-cost airline (self-described as "value-based") headquartered in Melbourne. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by airline Virgi ...

, which began domestic flights in 2004. The airport is also the site of the biennial

Australian International Airshow The Australian International Airshow, also called the Avalon Airshow, is a large air show held biennially at Avalon Airport, between Melbourne and Geelong in Victoria. The event has a strong focus on military aviation, featuring aircraft from ...

. Unlike

Melbourne Airport Melbourne Airport , colloquially known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne, and the second busiest airport in Australia. It opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is ...

, Avalon Airport is not governed by the Commonwealth's ''Airports Act 1996''. The airport has a single runway in addition to a helipad.

History

The airport is located on land of the original indigenous owners, the Wathaurong people, and a scatter stone area is preserved on the Avalon Airport site, out of respect for the original owners. The land has undergone many changes over the past century. In the beginning, the airport was a sheep and cattle farm and homestead, founded by James Austin, an immigrant from Glastonbury, Somerset, England. James established his farm and named the homestead "Avalon" after the isle of

at Glastonbury, the mythical island in the

Arthurian legend The Matter of Britain is the body of medieval literature and legendary material associated with Great Britain and Brittany and the legendary kings and heroes associated with it, particularly King Arthur. It was one of the three great Wester ...

. In 1952 the Commonwealth Government bought at Avalon for just 110 pounds, as the land was deemed to be of poor quality farmland due to the abundance of volcanic rock littering the surface. The airport was opened in 1953, to cater for the production of military aircraft. Previously, the Government Aircraft Factories at

Fishermans Bend Fishermans Bend (formerly Fishermen's Bend) is a precinct within the City of Port Phillip and the City of Melbourne. It is located on the south of the Yarra River in the suburb of Port Melbourne and opposite Coode Island, close to the Melbourne ...

, Melbourne had used a runway beside the factory. However, newer jet aircraft required a longer runway for safe operations, and the Fisherman's Bend runway was being encroached upon by development. A runway was built by

Country Roads Board The Country Roads Board was a government authority responsible for the construction and maintenance of main roads in the state of Victoria, Australia between 1913 and 1983. History The Country Roads Board (CRB) was formed to take over responsi ...

, with the first plane landing on 3 April 1953 – a four-engined

Avro Lincoln The Avro Type 694 Lincoln is a British four-engined heavy bomber, which first flew on 9 June 1944. Developed from the Avro Lancaster, the first Lincoln variants were initially known as the Lancaster IV and V; these were renamed Lincoln I and I ...

heavy bomber Heavy bombers are bomber aircraft capable of delivering the largest payload of air-to-ground weaponry (usually bombs) and longest range ( takeoff to landing) of their era. Archetypal heavy bombers have therefore usually been among the larg ...

flown from Fishermans Bend. The

English Electric Canberra The English Electric Canberra is a British first-generation, jet-powered medium bomber. It was developed by English Electric during the mid- to late 1940s in response to a 1944 Air Ministry requirement for a successor to the wartime de Havil ...

light bomber A light bomber is a relatively small and fast type of military bomber aircraft that was primarily employed before the 1950s. Such aircraft would typically not carry more than one ton of ordnance. The earliest light bombers were intended to dro ...

was under construction at same time at the new airport. In 1959,

Qantas Qantas Airways Limited ( ) is the flag carrier of Australia and the country's largest airline by fleet size, international flights, and international destinations. It is the world's third-oldest airline still in operation, having been founde ...

established a training base at the site. In 1961, Government Aircraft Factories combined with the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation, and built and serviced 110 Mirage fighters at the site, and in 1970 Jindivik Target Aircraft transferred to Avalon Airport from Fishermens Bend, adding production of 170 Nomad and 75 Hornet military jets, in addition to servicing of other jets. In 1985 the Government Aircraft Factories changed its name to Aerospace Technologies of Australia (ASTA). Aircraft produced during this time included the GAF Jindivik

remotely piloted aircraft An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft without any human pilot, crew, or passengers on board. UAVs are a component of an unmanned aircraft system (UAS), which includes adding a ground-based controlle ...

, and

Nomad A nomad is a member of a community without fixed habitation who regularly moves to and from the same areas. Such groups include hunter-gatherers, pastoral nomads (owning livestock), tinkers and trader nomads. In the twentieth century, the po ...

civil aircraft. Under the ASTA banner, engines for the

Dassault Mirage III The Dassault Mirage III () is a family of single/dual-seat, single-engine, fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by French aircraft company Dassault Aviation. It was the first Western European combat aircraft to exceed Mach number, Mach 2 ...

jet fighters were produced, as well as assembly of the

F/A-18 The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is an all-weather, twin-engine, supersonic, carrier-capable, multirole combat aircraft, designed as both a fighter and attack aircraft (hence the F/A designation). Designed by McDonnell Douglas (now part ...

multirole combat aircraft A multirole combat aircraft (MRCA) is a combat aircraft intended to perform different roles in combat. These roles can include air to air combat, air support, aerial bombing, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, and suppression of air defen ...

for the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

(RAAF). In October 1988, the ASTA Aircraft Services division took the first

Boeing 747 The Boeing 747 is a large, long-range wide-body airliner designed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes in the United States between 1968 and 2022. After introducing the 707 in October 1958, Pan Am wanted a jet times its size, ...

to Avalon for servicing and maintenance. By December 1993, fifty 747 aircraft had been through the Avalon facility, and 820 people were employed at the site. October 1995 saw a

Cathay Pacific Cathay Pacific Airways Limited (CPA), more widely known as Cathay Pacific (), is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport. The airline's operations and subsidiaries have ...

Lockheed L-1011 The Lockheed L-1011 TriStar, also known as the L-1011 (pronounced "El-ten-eleven") and TriStar, is an American medium-to-long-range, wide-body trijet airliner built by the Lockheed Corporation. It was the third wide-body airliner to enter comme ...

flown to Avalon for scrapping by ASTA Aircraft Services, in what was a one-off event. Training of pilots from Japan's

All Nippon Airways , also known as ANA (''Ē-enu-ē'') or is an airline in Japan. Its headquarters are located in Shiodome City Center in the Shiodome area of Minato ward of Tokyo. It operates services to both domestic and international destinations and had m ...

commenced at the airport on 8 September 1993. On 27 June 1995 Aerospace Technologies of Australia was

privatised Privatization (also privatisation in British English) can mean several different things, most commonly referring to moving something from the public sector into the private sector. It is also sometimes used as a synonym for deregulation when ...

by the Commonwealth Government, selling the aircraft divisions to Rockwell Australia Limited, and the airport operations to Avalon Airport Geelong Pty Ltd. The ASTA airliner overhauling facility was closed in 1997. The first scheduled passenger flights out of the airport were operated by

Hazelton Airlines Hazelton Air Services Pty Limited, trading as Hazelton Airlines, was an Australian regional airline which operated until 2001. It was established as an independent airline but by the end of its existence had become a subsidiary of Ansett Australi ...

, who commenced flights between Avalon Airport and

Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mounta ...

in February 1995. 36-seat

Saab 340 The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft. It is designed to seat 30-36 passengers and, as of July 2018, there were 240 operational aircraft used by 34 different o ...

aircraft were used for the service. The service was discontinued after a short time due to a lack of passengers. Avalon-airport-hangars

Post-privatisation

In 1997, the federal

Government of Australia The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Governmen ...

, through the

Department of Defence Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philippin ...

, granted

a 50-year plus a 49-year option lease of the airport. Between 1997 and 2001 Linfox developed proposals to develop the land which formed the basis of the Avalon Airport Master Plan draft, 2013. In 1992, the airport began hosting the

. On 1 June 2004,

started commercial flights from the airport, in addition to their operations at

. In April 2010,

Tigerair Australia Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, operating as Tigerair Australia, was an Australian low-cost airline. Founded by Tiger Airways Holdings, it commenced services in the domestic airline market on 23 November 2007 as Tiger Airways Australia. It l ...

announced it would base two aircraft and commence operations from Avalon later that year. By June 2011 however, Tigerair Australia announced it would be withdrawing several flights from Avalon, to be operated instead from Melbourne Airport. The remaining Tigerair Australia services were withdrawn after a series of incidents that led to airline's operations being suspended by the

Civil Aviation Safety Authority The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is the Australian national authority for the regulation of civil aviation. Although distinct from the government, it reports to the Federal Minister for Infrastructure and Transport. CASA is responsibl ...

the following month. In October 2012, the Federal Government announced that the airport's lease would be amended, allowing for the construction of a new terminal and the implementation of international flights. Avalon is the second airport in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

to be designated as a

port of entry In general, a port of entry (POE) is a place where one may lawfully enter a country. It typically has border security staff and facilities to check passports and visas and to inspect luggage to assure that contraband is not imported. Internat ...

for freight operations.

International flights

It was announced on 4 February 2018 that

AirAsia X AirAsia X (previously known as ''FlyAsianXpress Sdn. Bhd.''), is a long-haul budget airline based in Malaysia, and a sister company of AirAsia. It commenced operations on 2 November 2007 with its first service flown from Kuala Lumpur Interna ...

would move their

operations to Avalon Airport by the end of the year. AirAsia X

Airbus A330 The Airbus A330 is a wide-body aircraft developed and produced by Airbus. Airbus conceived several derivatives of the A300, its first airliner in the mid-1970s. Then the company began development on the A330 twinjet in parallel with the A340 ...

s would service the twice daily direct flights to Kuala Lumpur. Announcing it on 10 July 2018 the airline commenced its operations from Avalon Airport on 5 December 2018. A media release on 22 October 2019 from the Victorian Premier's Office stated that

VietJet Air VietJet Aviation Joint Stock Company ( vi, Công ty Cổ phần Hàng không VietJet), trading as VietJet Air (or simply Vietjet), is an international low-cost airline from Vietnam. It was the first privately owned new-age airline to be establ ...

was expected to begin flights from Avalon to Vietnam in the second half of 2020. On 11 December 2019, it was announced on Citilink's Instagram social media account that flights to Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia would be added to Avalon Airport's list of international flights. On 10 January 2020, it was stated that the daily flight would commence on 24 January 2020. On 18 July 2022, Air Asia announced they would be restarting flights to Australia and New Zealand but will be ending their Avalon operations and begin operating out of

for the first time since 2018.

Future

Airport Master Plan 2015

The Avalon Airport Master Plan was prepared by Avalon Airport Pty Ltd in September 2015 and was endorsed by the Department of Defence. The document provides for a significant expansion of the airport's operations, as well as the establishment of non-aviation related developments.

Proposed rail connection

On 3 May 2011, the Victorian Minister for Public Transport committed $3 million for the planning of a rail link to Avalon Airport. In January 2013, three route options were presented. The railway line would start by running along the existing Geelong-Melbourne heavy rail corridor, and then divert towards Avalon Airport, south of Little River, at one of three locations. The eastern option would see the line break away closer to Melbourne, near Cherry Swamp Road and Little River. The central option would place the diversion 2.5 kilometres southwest, near Peak School Road at Lara. The western route option would divert from the existing line closer to Geelong, at Plains Road, Lara. Each of the three routes would run over the

Princes Freeway Princes Freeway is a Australian freeway, divided into two sections, both located in Victoria, Australia. The freeway links Melbourne to Geelong in the west, and to Morwell in the east. It continues beyond these extremities as the Princes ...

, north east of the Beach Road interchange at Little River, running under the flight path to a new station inside the terminal. The government would need to acquire private farmland to complete the link and is considering a number different options, including a light rail service, automated driverless trains used at several international airports. On 4 August 2013, the state government indicated that it may alter its election promise to build the $250 million train line to Avalon Airport, and instead create a cheaper light rail link from Melbourne's south-west. Department documents show the government is now considering other options to meet interim demand, such as light rail, buses, or "driverless transport options which are used at many airports around the world".

Facilities

Since the introduction of

in 2004, the Avalon Airport terminal facilities have expanded from the original size of to nearly . Over $100 million has been invested in the airport thus far to complete the following: * An apron expansion to accommodate a further four aircraft as well as enable the opportunity to accommodate an aircraft the size of a Boeing 747. * A total of seven A320 sized aircraft can now be parked simultaneously in front of the airport terminal. * Installation of a flight information display system * Fuel farm expansion to triple storage capacity from 500,000 to 1,500,000 litres of A1 jet fuel plus installation of new fuel pipelines * Construction of a new bus, taxi and hire car road and various rerouted roads to manage incoming passenger traffic and other road infrastructure upgrades * Fuel farm electrical maintenance and demolition of unused buildings * Significant infrastructure upgrades as part of the Australian International Airshow

Passenger terminal

The current terminal facility is approximately in area and houses four gates capable of servicing aircraft up to and including the size of the

Airbus A321 The Airbus A321 is a member of the Airbus A320 family of short to medium range, narrow-body, commercial passenger twin engine jet airliners; it carries 185 to 236 passengers. It has a stretched fuselage which was the first derivative of the b ...

. In its present configuration, the terminal can accommodate around six domestic departures per hour. The airport has a total of eight aircraft parking bays; there are six on the Northern Apron and two on the Eastern Apron. On the Northern Apron, the airport can accommodate five Code C Aircraft (

Boeing 737 The Boeing 737 is a narrow-body aircraft produced by Boeing at its Renton Factory in Washington. Developed to supplement the Boeing 727 on short and thin routes, the twinjet retains the 707 fuselage width and six abreast seating with two u ...

Airbus A320 The Airbus A320 family is a series of narrow-body airliners developed and produced by Airbus. The A320 was launched in March 1984, first flew on 22 February 1987, and was introduced in April 1988 by Air France. The first member of the fam ...

aircraft) and one

. Avalon Airport can accommodate two Boeing 747s or two

Boeing 787 The Boeing 787 Dreamliner is an American wide-body jet airliner developed and manufactured by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. After dropping its unconventional Sonic Cruiser project, Boeing announced the conventional 7E7 on January 29, 2003, ...

s on the Eastern Apron. The Eastern Apron is also a remote parking bay which doubles as a freight bay. The airport is capable of fitting one

Airbus A380 The Airbus A380 is a large wide-body airliner that was developed and produced by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner and only full-length double-deck jet airliner. Airbus studies started in 1988, and the project was annou ...

at a time on the Eastern Apron; this means it can also accommodate the freighter version of the

Boeing 747-8 The Boeing 747-8 is a wide-body airliner formerly developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and the largest variant of the 747. After introducing the 747-400, Boeing considered larger 747 versions as alternatives to the proposed double-deck Ai ...

, which is slightly smaller. Currently the airport terminal is not equipped with aerobridges, and does not feature any guest lounges.

Freight facilities

The most notable freight operations include the

Australian Grand Prix The Australian Grand Prix is an annual motor racing event which is under contract to host Formula One until 2035. One of the oldest surviving motorsport competitions held in Australia, the Grand Prix has moved frequently with 23 different venu ...

, Supercars and

Superbikes Superbike racing is a category of motorcycle racing that employs highly modified production motorcycles, as opposed to MotoGP in which purpose-built motorcycles are used. The Superbike World Championship is the official world championship series, t ...

, plus some specialist charters including livestock race horses, fresh produce, military hardware, touring rock bands. The airport can facilitate loads on all aircraft types from the Airbus 380 series down, with equipment available to load via the main deck, lower deck, nose or tail end of the Aircraft, with a maximum lift of 16 tonnes. It has three dedicated freighter parking positions: Two on its Eastern and one on the Northern Freighter Aprons.

Aircraft heavy maintenance

Avalon Airport has six hangars in total: of hangar space, including three Boeing 747 hangars. Three of these are customised B747 hangars that were used by Qantas. The Qantas Engineering maintenance facility commenced operations on 13 May 1998. It was also responsible for the Qantas Group's aircraft commercial project work, including cabin reconfigurations and refurbishment. The Avalon Maintenance Facility was the first in Australia to develop and carry out a program for converting B737-300 passenger aircraft to freighters for Australian Air Express operations and was responsible for the modification of the new Premium Economy product for Qantas' B747-400 fleet. In 2012, Qantas announced that it would phase out operations at Avalon Airport, making the hangars available for other businesses.

Airlines and destinations

Other uses

The video clip of

Human Nature Human nature is a concept that denotes the fundamental dispositions and characteristics—including ways of thinking, feeling, and acting—that humans are said to have naturally. The term is often used to denote the essence of humankind, or ...

's 2000 song ''

He Don't Love You "He Don't Love You" is a song by Human Nature, released as the first single from their self-titled album ''Human Nature''. The song peaked at No. 4 in Australia, and at No. 18 in the UK. The Mark Hartley directed music video was nominated for ...

'' was filmed at the airport. In July 2013, it was proposed by Geelong City Council that a

theme park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, as well as other events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central ...

be built at Avalon, and they have held discussions with

Village Roadshow Village Roadshow Limited is an Australian company which operates cinemas and theme parks, and produces and distributes films. Before being acquired by private equity company BGH Capital, the company was listed on the Australian Securities Ex ...

and other companies concerning the proposal.

African Safari World African Safari World was a proposed amusement park and zoo, to replace the Werribee Open Range Zoo, southwest of Melbourne, Australia. Warner Village Theme Parks, who already own and operate several properties on the Gold Coast in Queensland, w ...

was a previous proposal at nearby Werribee Zoo that did not get approved. The biennial

operates from Avalon Airport. The project is owned by Aviation Development Australia Limited. The event attracts a total attendance of over 195,000 across the six days, including exhibitors from the international aerospace industry and government, military, scientific and trade delegates.

Ground transportation

Car

Avalon Airport is linked to Geelong and Melbourne by the adjacent

. The airport has 1,500 airport car spaces, a taxi rank and a ride-share pick-up/drop-off bay.

Coach

In 2017, Skybus launched services from the Melbourne CBD and Geelong to Avalon Airport.

Accidents and incidents

*On 6 August 1976, a prototype N24 Nomad crashed shortly after takeoff at Avalon while a flight test of modifications to the tail of the aircraft. Two of the three crew members were killed in the accident, notably including pilot Stuart Pearce, father of actor

Guy Pearce Guy Edward Pearce (born 5 October 1967) is an Australian actor. Born in Ely, Cambridgeshire in England, and raised in Geelong, Victoria in Australia, he started his career portraying Mike Young in the Australian television series ''Neighbours ...

. *A serious incident involving a Tiger Airways Australia

flight from Sydney occurred on 30 June 2011 when the crew performed a

missed approach Missed approach is a procedure followed by a pilot when an instrument approach cannot be completed to a full-stop landing. The instructions for the missed approach may be assigned by air traffic control (ATC) prior to the clearance for the approa ...

at Avalon outside of published procedures, resulting in the aircraft overflying the Geelong suburb of Leopold at a dangerously low altitude, without guidance from Air Traffic Control. The incident made national headlines and triggered a five-week grounding of the airline over a busy school holiday period while a safety audit was conducted by the

References

Bibliography

*Peter Begg (1990). ''Geelong — The First 150 Years''. Globe Press.

External links

*
Australian International AirshowStreet Map
{{Melbourne landmarks Airports in Victoria (Australia) 1953 establishments in Australia Airports established in 1953 Transport in Geelong Buildings and structures in Geelong