The establishment of international flights from Avalon airport, Geelong, Victoria, would boost the state’s produce exports, leading produce industry player Frank Costa has claimed.

Quoted in the Geelong Advertiser, Mr Costa of produce giant the Costa Group said Avalon Airport had great potential to become a fresh food export hub if airport operator Linfox wins its bid to make it Victoria’s second international airport.

'If they are able to win international activity in and out (of Avalon) then certainly you are going to have a lot of interest from the fruit and vegetable industry given how close they are in Werribee,' Mr Costa said.

Mr Costa said local Geelong producers and those in northern Victoria could very easily access Avalon, where produce would be packaged and sent overseas in the bellies of aeroplanes.

Mr Costa said a fruit and vegetable export centre could be developed at the airport, including cool rooms, warehousing, and a packing and dispatch centre.

Mr Costa said five per cent of his company's produce was exported to Asian destinations, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Japan. He said proximity to Asian markets was an advantage for Australian producers competing with South America and African exporters.

'The quicker and bigger that opportunity was to develop, the quicker the
opportunity for fresh produce (export) would grow,' Mr Costa said. 'There's nothing concrete at this stage but the opportunity would certainly be there for it (the export centre).

The MP for Corio, Richard Marles, told the Geelong Advertiser that Avalon represented one of the best prospects in the Geelong region.

'The Government is working closely with Linfox to progress Avalon becoming an international airport,' he said. 'I am confident that will happen in the not-too-distant future.'

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