Avalon set for Melbourne's second international airport

Alistair WalshDecember 8, 2020

Melbourne is set to get its second international airport after the federal government agreed to amend lease agreements with Avalon airport.

The government will amend the lease to Lindsay Fox’s airport so he can build a new terminal and sign up international airlines.

Fox can now build a terminal of up to 10,000 square metres and up to $15 million in value can be developed without federal government approval, the Australian Financial Review reported.

The airport, 15 kilometres northeast of Geelong, has been in negotiations for a long time to secure international carriers.

Local federal MP Richard Marles says Defence Minister Stephen Smith approved changes to the lease arrangement with Defence during the week.

“This is a truly historic day for Avalon Airport, for Geelong and for our region,” Marles told The Australian Financial Review.

“It means the airport operators can, with full confidence, get on with the job of securing an international airline for Avalon.

Chief executive of the airport Justin Giddings says the decision is critical to Avalon’s future growth.

“This decision gives us the certainty and confidence we need to go out and secure international airlines to operate out of Avalon,” Giddings says.

He called the decision “a huge win for Victoria, for the Geelong region and for the flying public”.

“This decision cements Avalon’s future as Victoria’s second major domestic and new international airport.”

Giddings says approval and the Victorian government's recent financial commitment to a rail link to Avalon means the airport can meet growing demand.

The state government has committed $50 million towards the design, planning, land acquisition and preliminary construction works of a rail link to Avalon Airport and $3 million for an aviation fuel line from Shell Geelong to the airport.

Linfox has controlled the airport since 1997, and Qantas’s low-cost carrier Jetstar has been using the airport since 2004.

Alistair Walsh

Deutsche Welle online reporter

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