The first images have emerged of a new VIP terminal to be built at Melbourne Airport in Australia. Known as the Melbourne Jet Base, the facility is scheduled to open in the second half of 2018, with an estimated project value of AS$67.5m (US$51.8m).
According to details released by Australia Pacific Airports Melbourne (APAM), which operates the airport, the new facility will comprise: a purpose-built private jet hangar with room for 17 private jets; a display hangar for a vintage DC3 aircraft; a prestige passenger terminal; customs and security facilities; workspaces for staff; hangar support offices and storage space; and basement parking. It will be located at the existing Melbourne Aviation Precinct (MAP) – a maintenance and engineering facility – on Operations Road.
The Melbourne Jet Base has been designed by the award-winning Cox Architects, with construction handled by Hutchinson Builders, and is estimated to take 82 weeks to finish. At present, all international arrivals are fed through the same channels at the airport, although there is a VIP room where individuals arriving by private jet can wait for the crowds to disperse.
The new project will provide a completely separate facility for those attending events such as the Melbourne Grand Prix or Melbourne Cup, or those visiting the nearby Crown Casino – a helicopter will be on standby to take people from the terminal to the casino directly.
The APAM said in a statement, “Melbourne lacks a private jet base of the standard at other cities of the world. The construction of the project presents an opportunity to attract further international business to Melbourne.”
