In his 10 years as CEO of Avalon Airport, Justin Giddings says that the last 12 months has been the most exciting and challenging.
Firstly, the company Cotton On moved their business into the airport precinct. Justin believes that this is the tip of the iceberg in terms of Avalon becoming a major industrial hub in the future.
Secondly, they hosted the air show which is growing from strength to strength. Despite the heat, Justin classed it as the best show yet. Billions of dollars worth of aircraft were on display. He said that an agreement has been reached which will see the show continue to be hosted at Avalon Airport for the foreseeable future.
Finally, and most importantly, the airport saw the first international flight into Avalon as part of a 10-year contractual arrangement with Air Asia. It has been a long time in the making. It is important to note that this was the first arrangement in the world where the secondary airport has legitimately won a contract even though the primary airport (Tullamarine) has the capacity to accommodate the airline. This only happens in other countries when the main airport cannot cater for any more flights resulting in an overflow to the smaller airport.
During high-pressure negotiations with Air Asia, Justin was taking a great risk because he knew it would mean a major upgrade to the airport at a cost of $50 million. He had to convince his employer, Lindsay Fox, that it was going to be a viable business decision. Thankfully, things are looking good. Since the flights started 4 moths ago, no flights have been cancelled and the passenger loads have been high. Surprisingly, a large percentage of outgoing passengers have been Wyndham residents who are returning to the home country to visit their relatives in various Asian countries.
Where to from here? Justin says that they are not likely to attract any more domestic carriers to Avalon although they hope to increase the number of Jet Star flights. He says the growth will come from attracting other international carriers and he is is focusing on airlines that fly to Thailand and Bali.
One of the other challenges is to establish a fast and reliable public transport service to and from the airport. One idea that is being seriously explored is to build a new train station on the Geelong line and then ferry passengers from that station by bus to the airport.
Justin is a very busy man. In his spare time, he is the chair of the Youth Justice Redevelopment Project Community Consultation Group which relates to the new Youth Detention Centre being built at Little River. He is also chair of new Lara Jail Development and chair of The Gordon Institute of TAFE.