Melbourne Airport forecasts almost six million holidaymakers will pass through its terminals in December and January – a whopping 150 per cent increase on the previous summer holiday period.
Of those six million passengers, 4.2 million will be domestic travellers, representing 95 per cent of pre-pandemic traffic in 2019/2020. Numbers on some days are expected to equal 2019 levels.
Just over 1.7 million international passengers will pass through the airport during the December/January period. December’s traffic will be five times higher than when Victoria’s international border reopened in 2021.
In a positive sign for the state’s economy, the airport expects 46,000 more international arrivals than departures across the holiday period with numbers boosted by the Australian Open.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the airport is well equipped to handle increased passengers.
She added that travellers should arrive two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight departure.
“Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays are shaping up as the busiest travel days with some expected to surpass 100,000 passengers.”
“We will have measures in place to facilitate smooth holiday travel. This includes increased security staff, strategic aircraft bay allocation, additional customer service teams in carparks, corporate staff assisting in terminals and technicians on hand to respond to any issues.”
Check out more holiday travel tips for BNE and SYD here.
For more info, head to melbourneairport.com.au
