Avalon Airport

In the beginning, the airport was a sheep and cattle farm and homestead, founded by James Austin, an immigrant from Glastonbury, Somerset, England.In 1952 the Commonwealth Government bought 1,754 hectares (4,333 acres) at Avalon for just 110 pounds, as the land was deemed to be of poor quality farmland due to the abundance of volcanic rock littering the surface.A 3,048 m (10,000 ft) runway was built by Country Roads Board, with the first plane landing on 3 April 1953 – a four-engined Avro Lincoln heavy bomber flown from Fishermans Bend.Under the ASTA banner, engines for the Dassault Mirage III jet fighters were produced, as well as assembly of the F/A-18 multirole combat aircraft for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).[11] October 1995 saw a Cathay Pacific Lockheed L-1011 flown to Avalon for scrapping by ASTA Aircraft Services, in what was a one-off event.[citation needed] In April 2010, Tigerair Australia announced it would base two aircraft and commence operations from Avalon later that year.[19] The remaining Tigerair Australia services were withdrawn after a series of incidents that led to airline's operations being suspended by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority the following month.[citation needed] In October 2012, the Federal Government announced that the airport's lease would be amended, allowing for the construction of a new terminal and the implementation of international flights.[25] A media release on 22 October 2019 from the Victorian Premier's Office stated that VietJet Air was expected to begin flights from Avalon to Vietnam in the second half of 2020.Over $100 million has been invested in the airport thus far to complete the following: The current terminal facility is approximately 4,500 square metres (48,000 sq ft) in area and houses four gates capable of servicing aircraft up to and including the size of the Airbus A321.The airport is capable of fitting one Airbus A380 at a time on the Eastern Apron; this means it can also accommodate the freighter version of the Boeing 747-8, which is slightly smaller.The event attracts a total attendance of over 195,000 across the six days, including exhibitors from the international aerospace industry and government, military, scientific and trade delegates.The government would need to acquire private farmland to complete the link and is considering a number different options, including a light rail service, automated driverless trains used at several international airports.[42][43][44] In August 2013, the state government indicated that it may alter its election promise to build the $250 million train line to Avalon Airport, and instead create a cheaper light rail link from Melbourne's south-west.