Close to 20,000 flight movements; almost three-quarters of a million international passengers, equal to nearly 90 per cent of 2019 international passenger numbers … Melbourne is moving.
As it continues its march back towards pre-COVID levels, Melbourne Airport set a new post-pandemic record for monthly aircraft movements in May, with a total of 19,714 flights (an average 636 per day) arriving or departing during the month.
This represents more than double the number of flights (1,740) recorded in May 2022.
Passenger figures for the month totalled 744,868, equal to 87.6 per cent of 2019 levels.
Across all four terminals, 2,608,088 passengers passed through the airport, representing 90.4 per cent of the 2,885,517 travellers processed in May 2019.
New route
Meanwhile, MEL welcomed the launch of a new link between Melbourne and Hanoi with the arrival today of Vietnam Airlines flight VN779 from the Vietnamese capital.
Adding to its existing Melbourne-Ho Chi Minh City flights, Vietnam Airlines will operate the service twice per week using its A350-900 aircraft on the route. Flight VN778 flies out of Melbourne this afternoon.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said today’s launch “means we now have 60 per cent more capacity flying to and from Vietnam than we did before the onset of COVID-19”.
“Vietnam Airlines was the first airline to connect Victoria with Vietnam, but this is the first time they have connected the two capitals and we are pleased to see them expanding their offering from Melbourne,” she remarked.
“The increase in both international and domestic capacity is important because it will help put downward pressure on airfares at a time when cost of living pressures are causing strain for many household budgets.
“Melbourne Airport continues to plan for infrastructure such as our third runway to ensure we have room to enable this growth and keep Victorians and Victorian produce moving.”
Earlier this month, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese welcomed upped capacity between Australia and Vietnam.
“I am especially pleased to acknowledge today the announcements by Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet of increased direct flights to Australian capitals,” Albanese said from Hanoi, where he was attending a bilateral event marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Last year, Bamboo Airways launched the first direct connection between Melbourne and Hanoi.
