Avalon’s long term vision includes 100ha commercial precinct, flights to New Zealand, Bali, India

Flights leaving Avalon could touch down across new pacific and Asia destinations as the airport prepares for a major expansion.

Avalon CEO Tony Brun at the airport. Picture: Alan Barber

Fifteen million passengers a year, developing a 100ha commercial precinct on site and a terminal at an Avalon Airport train station are long-term goals outlined by its chief executive who says the airport has one of the largest catchments in the country.

Tony Brun said flights from Avalon, to New Zealand, Fiji, Bali and India, would be targeted in coming years as the airport scaled up its commercial offering to provide space for thousands more jobs.

“We think realistically by 2040 we should be aiming for 20 to 30 per cent of the market share (of public air travel) in Victoria,” Mr Brun said.

“That puts us in anywhere upwards 15 to 20 million passengers per annum by 2040, we’ve got to work backwards from that,” Mr Brun said.

Pre-Covid Avalon was transporting about 850,000 passengers annually.

Mr Brun said on one measure Avalon had the “fourth largest catchment in Australia”.

“We’ve got 1.58 million people within a 45-minute drive of Avalon Airport, that’s bigger than (the catchment in the same distances from) Adelaide and Gold Coast.

Map showing drive times from Avalon airport. Red is 60mins, yellow is 45mins and green is 30 mins.

“If we take that out to a 60-minute drive... we’ve got 3.2 million people. So that puts us bigger than Perth.”

Domestically Bonza will start Avalon to Sunshine Coast flights next week.

Mr Brun said he wanted to maintain domestic leisure routes on Jetstar and start Qantas flights at the airport which would cater for work-related travel.

“We think Qantas is crazy not to come here because we know that we will fill their planes,” he said.

By 2036, more than 4.3 million people are due to live within an hour’s drive of Avalon Airport. The airport, a 2630ha site, is at less than five per capacity.

In the short-term Mr Brun said airport management would push hard for a station to be built between Lara and Little River to service the airport with a “trackless tram” ferrying passengers between the Avalon terminal and the train station.

“We’re looking at between $110 and $150m that would get that done. We can have that in place for the Commonwealth Games.

“We need the state to commit to that in this budget in May. It has to happen in May. We can’t leave it any longer.

“(If a train station is built) all of a sudden we’ve got connectivity with Warrnambool, Geelong and Melbourne, and you’ve got a 10-minute trackless train journey connecting the airport and rail line.

Aerial View Avalon Airport (night View

“That station would become part of the fast rail network. Commitment to rail will drive (the need for) a hotel.”

Mr Brun said the airport wanted to establish a 100ha commercial precinct in three to five years with tenants that included “big-box” retailers.

That would add to the current commercial offering that’s due to hit 2000 jobs onsite by next year.

Recharge Industries is planning to manufacture large-scale lithium-ion batteries at Avalon Airport, in a move that its proponent said would add $15bn to the state’s economy across the next two decades.

Mr Brun said: “They’re looking at a $1.2bn plant with 2000 workers. So that’s 2000 on top of the 2000 (that will be here next year).”

Pet supply retailer Petstock is due to move into a 30,000sq. m warehouse at Avalon next year.

Australia Post is due to complete its 15,000 sq. m facility at the airport by Easter, and Hanwha has begun construction of its $170m facility at the airport where it will build military guns.

Cotton On’s global distribution general manager Andy Sanderson said its 50,000sq m facility at Avalon supported 4.2m online orders in Australia, and its 650 Australian stores.

“The landlord offered flexible and highly competitive solutions to facilitate future growth, while giving us great access to ports and freeways to support national distribution,” Mr Sanderson said.

Avalon Airport also now houses huge distribution centres and is about to be home for more. Picture: Alan Barber

“Most importantly, Avalon also enabled us to keep our logistics hub in Geelong, creating greater employment opportunities for the local community with access to a quality workforce that increases to over 1,200 jobs as seasonal demand spikes.”

Asked if Avalon could be home to Geelong Football Club’s plan to build an 8000-seat stadium to be used mainly for its women’s games, Mr Brun said: “That’s something that’s got potential. That’s something that could go into that events precinct area (at the airport) and work in well with it.”

Mr Brun said a long-term goal was to have the Werribee Metro line extended to the Avalon Airport station, and have the line renamed Avalon Airport.

“In doing that... we’ve got effectively three lines that connect to that station: the Warrnambool regional line, the Geelong fast rail line, and we’ve got the Avalon Airport line, and then at ...Metro stations you’ve got a platform that says Avalon Airport. We can have that delivered by 2028.”

Mr Brun said the project to extend the line would cost about $200m.

He said one 747 plane loaded with freight came into the airport each week but that could scale up to meet demand.

Originally published as Avalon’s long term vision includes 100ha commercial precinct, flights to New Zealand, Bali, India