Melbourne Airport will close its kerbside pick up and drop off zones later this year, shifting all Qantas, Virgin Australia and international passengers to its new multi-level Transport Hub.
From October, every passenger flying Qantas, Virgin Australia or any international service at Melbourne Airport will be dropped off and picked up at a single new location: the T123 Transport Hub, built inside the existing T123 multi-level car park.
The move ends more than 50 years of kerbside pick-ups and drop-offs along Arrivals and Departures Drive, the congested forecourt route travellers have used for decades.
The new zones are free to use and connect to new express ramps linking the Tullamarine Freeway directly to the hub. Construction is nearing completion and live trials are already underway.
What changes for passengers
The $500 million pick up and drop off zones separate private cars from commercial vehicles and more than double the capacity for drop-offs and collections.
The change also clears the way for a separate $4.5 billion expansion of the international terminal into the forecourt, the space currently taken up by the old road network.
Live accessibility trials are running in partnership with Get Skilled Access and Traveller’s Aid to test how well the hub supports passengers with a range of needs ahead of opening day.
Timeline explained
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the timing was chosen to give travellers time to adjust before the year’s busiest periods.
“This project will mean fewer traffic jams and make more room for hellos and goodbyes, while also unlocking the ability for us to expand the international terminal into the forecourt,” she said.
“Our current road network simply doesn’t have capacity to cope with our forecast passenger growth, with traffic modelling showing that without this project, passengers would be waiting an additional 28 minutes in peak periods by 2029.
“The October opening is timed to avoid the busy school holiday and footy finals period and will give travellers a couple of months to adjust to the changes before the Christmas peak.
“We know this is a big change for our passengers, which is exactly why we’re running live trials now, well ahead of opening day, to make sure the hub and the road network feeding into it work exactly as they should before passengers start using them.”
Argus said the testing phase was about learning and adapting, with the accessibility trials providing insight from people with various lived experiences.
The shake-up comes as international capacity through Melbourne continues to build, with Virgin Australia recently restoring double-daily flights to Doha for the European summer.
KARRYON UNPACKS: Melbourne is the country’s busiest 24/7 departure point, so a change to how everyone gets dropped off is the kind of detail clients will ask about at booking. Worth flagging to anyone flying out of Tullamarine from October, particularly those relying on family drop-offs or accessible transport.
