Avalon Airport appoints new fuel supplier: Air BP replaces Viva Energy
An international energy giant has been signed on to supply fuel to Avalon Airport, amid a flurry of changes for the regional hub.
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An international energy giant has been locked in to supply fuel to Avalon Airport, as the state government announced it will be home to a brand new processing facility.
Air BP – the specialist aviation division of BP – has added Avalon Airport to its list of airports it supplies jet fuel to.
The company will be the airport’s sole supplier, replacing Viva Energy, on a five-year deal with an option for mutual extension.
As part of the agreement, Air BP will supply the airport with Jet A-1 fuel and also provide technical services for operations and equipment.
Jet A and Jet A1 are the most commonly used fuels for commercial aviation, with Jet A-1 having a lower freezing temperature, making it more suitable for longer flights.
Air BP also supplies fuel to multiple Melbourne airports, including Tullamarine and Essendon Fields.
It is hoped the partnership will attract new domestic, international and freight airlines to Avalon, and providing greater connectivity for Geelong and regional Victoria.
Avalon served about 900,000 passengers in 2023, but the airport has lofty ambitions and aims to serve upwards of 15m passengers a year by 2040.
The fuel will be supplied via Quantem’s fuel terminal at Corio Wharf, where Air BP has had a commercial arrangement for more than six years.
Air BP’s Asia Pacific vice president Haley Mahoney said the company was thrilled to welcome Avalon to the “Air BP family”.
“This region is strategically important for Air BP and our focus is on building enduring relationships with customers and creating value through leveraging our global expertise and leading end-to-end supply capability,” she said.
Avalon’s acting chief executive Ari Suss said the deal built on a 50-year partnership between BP and airport owner, the Linfox Group.
“The goodwill and trust that comes from this is invaluable and we look forward to building on it here at Avalon,” he said.
Viva Energy, operator of the Geelong Refinery, had been Avalon’s sole supplier since 2018, after the company took over Shell’s aviation business.
The Air BP deal comes on the heels of the Victorian government’s announcement of a new dedicated air freight processing facility at Avalon.
The $8m facility, set to open next year, will operate around the clock and allow the airport to handle 10 times the cargo that currently flows through the airport, according to the government.
Avalon handled more than 10,000 tonnes of cargo in the 2023 financial year and when it opens, the facility will be able to process more than 100,000 tonnes.
The increased capacity meant less trucks will have to travel between Avalon and Melbourne Airport, and will feature “advanced scanning technology”.
The Avalon Airport Industrial Precinct is already home to distribution centres for large businesses such as Australia Post, Cotton On and Petstock.
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