Australiaโs most impressive airport terminal is one youโve unlikely ever heard about, let alone one youโll ever get to experience.
Known as the Melbourne Jet Base, the private transport hub has recently received a $100 million investment by development tycoon and private jet owner himself, Paul Little.
Designed by Cox Architecture the airport terminal/first class lounge hybrid rolled into one is now capable of handling 200 private aircraft per month following an extensive facelift. The Jet Base plans to establish itself as the first port of call for private jets into the country and the hub for domestic private jet travel.
The space, which isnโt far from Melbourneโs international terminal, features a concierge, chauffeur-driven limousines, a helicopter transfer service, on-site hotel suites and an Aurora day spa similar to those featured in Qantasโ First Class lounges.
The terminal offers โrespectful customs and quarantine processingโ with onboard screening a possible. Inside, โMelbourne Jet Baseโs architectural expression is defined by its elegant and iconic wing form, articulated using aviation-inspired materiality and a play on the poetic tension of earth and sky,โ the firm says.
โConversely, the warm interior spaces embrace a uniquely Australian palette of materials, textures and coloursโ including black Brazillian tiles, are โdesigned to both calm and comfort those in transit.โ
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The centrepiece of the terminal is Paul Littleโs Douglas DC-3 Kanana, built in 1938 and completely resorted following service in the RAAF and with domestic airlines ANA and Ansett. The Melbourne Jet Base reportedly already houses three VIP jets from Crown Resorts along with Littleโs own Gulfstream 650.
Source: ABT