Melbourne Airport toppled two records in December 2023 with 4,976 international flights – a new monthly high – and also welcomed one million passengers for the first time since January 2020 to become the first major Australian hub to exceed pre-pandemic international capacity.
The Victorian hub’s busiest post-COVID month also saw just over three million travellers pass through its terminals in December.
Domestic traffic was also up 10 per cent on December 2022 with 2,048,911 travellers passing through Terminals 1, 3 and 4.
A total of 14,832 domestic flights operated in December 2023, representing 95 per cent of 2019 figures.
Moving on up: 38 international carriers for MEL
The figures reflected a significant month as Aircalin resumed service to Noumea, Air India launched a new Mumbai route and Jetstar added new Fiji flights, upping year-on-year international traveller numbers by 35 per cent.
Asiana also started seasonal services to Seoul in December 2023, making it the 38th international carrier to serve MEL.
CEO Lorie Argus said the extra international capacity allowed thousands of people to connect with friends and loved ones over the Christmas and New Year period.
“International traveller numbers were up 35 per cent on the same month last year, which reflects the new services and extra capacity,” she said.
“Despite the current cost-of-living pressures, many families are prioritising travel and any extra capacity we can bring to the market increases competition and choice for travellers.
“In 2024, we look forward to bringing more seat capacity to Victoria and opening up new markets.”
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