Avalon Airport
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Avalon Airport (IATA airport code: AVV) is an airport located in Avalon, Victoria, Australia. It is located to the north of the city of Geelong, and to the southwest of the state's capital city of Melbourne.
The airport is designed to cater for jet aircraft, and comprises a single runway. It was originally constructed in 1953, to cater for the production of military aircraft. In 1959, Qantas established a training base at the site, and the runway was extended to cater for jet aircraft, becoming, for some years, the longest in the Southern Hemisphere. It continued to be used to build military aircraft until the 1980s, and for aircraft maintenance until 1996.
In 1997 the Australian government decided Avalon was no longer needed and it was sold to Linfox, a company owned by transport tycoon Lindsay Fox. In 2004, JetStar, a low cost division of Qantas, announced that they would use Avalon as the origin of flights to Sydney, Brisbane and Adelaide in preference to Melbourne Airport. A new terminal, consisting of a basic waiting room, was constructed to cater for the airline.
Avalon Airport was also one of three sites being considered as the new site for the Wholesale Fruit and Vegetable Markets which are to be moved from West Melbourne to allow development of the Port of Melbourne. A site in Epping was ultimately chosen as the preferred site.
Avalon Airport also hosts the Australian International Airshow, which is held every two years.
External Links
- Avalon Airport (http://www.avalonairport.com.au)
- Linfox Pty Ltd (http://www.linfox.com)
- Australian International Airshow (http://www.airshow.net.au)