AN $8 MILLION airfreight facility at Avalon Airport in Victoria opened today [27 October], promising a tenfold increase in current capacity at the airport to 100,000 tonnes and faster freight processing times.
Victoria’s Minister for Industry and Advanced Manufacturing Colin Brooks opened the centre, saying it would be a “game changer for Victoria, speeding up deliveries and creating new job opportunities for the region”.
The second freight gateway at Avalon will operate 24 hours a day and boast advanced scanning technology, making it one of the first airports in Australia compliant with new Border Force freight screening standards.
The new facility will handle everything from sets and equipment for the upcoming Lady Gaga concert to Formula 1 cars for the Australian Grand Prix and equipment for events such as MotoGP and World Superbikes.
Crucially, the freight centre will help ease truck congestion between Melbourne, Geelong and Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, particularly after West Gate Tunnel opens fully, expected later this year.
Back in March, Avalon Airport made the news for all the wrong reasons after a teenager allegedly armed with a shotgun boarded a Jetstar plane bound for Sydney. A group of passengers and the pilot tackled the boy to the floor. He had allegedly entered the airport through a hole in the security fence and had planted a fake home-made bomb, triggering calls for a national review of security at regional airports.
Known as Melbourne Avalon Airport, Avalon is closer to Victoria’s second city, Geelong, and is about 52 km from the Port of Melbourne. The airport forms part of the Greater Avalon Employment Precinct, a key freight hub with excellent transport connections including both rail gauges used in Victoria.
The Victorian Government has previously touted the Avalon precinct as home to a future container port under its Bay West proposal after the current Port of Melbourne lease expires in October 2066.