Melbourne Airport
Encyclopedia
Melbourne Airport , also known as Tullamarine Airport, is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport
. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the Melbourne metropolitan area
.
The airport is 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) from the city centre
. The airport has its own postcode—Melbourne Airport, Victoria
(postcode
3045). This is adjacent to the suburb of Tullamarine
.
The Melbourne—Sydney air route is the fourth most-travelled passenger air route
in the world and the second busiest in the Asia Pacific region. The airport features direct flight
s to 33 destinations in all states and territories of Australia in addition to numerous destinations in Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most common destination for the airports of five of Australia's seven capital cities. Melbourne serves as a major hub for Qantas
and Virgin Australia, while Jetstar Airways
and Tiger Airways Australia
utilise the airport as home base. Melbourne is the busiest airport for international export freight as of August 2011, while second busiest for import freight. Domestically, Melbourne serves as headquarters for Australian air Express
and Toll Priority
and handles more domestic freight than any other airport in the nation.
In 2003, Melbourne received the International Air Transport Association
Eagle Award for service and two National Tourism Awards for tourism services. The airport comprises four terminals: one international terminal, two domestic terminals and one budget domestic terminal.
Before the opening of Melbourne Airport, Melbourne's main airport was Essendon Airport
which was officially designated an international airport in 1950. In the mid 1950s, over 10,000 passengers were using Essendon Airport and the limitations of Essendon Airport were beginning to become apparent. Essendon Airport's facilities were insufficient to meet the increasing demand for air travel; the runways were too short to handle the then new jet airliners and the terminals failed to handle the increase in passengers, by the mid 1950s, an international overflow terminal was built in a new northern hangar. Due to the encroachment of the urban boundary, the airport had become surrounded by residential housing, meaning that expansion of Essendon Airport was not possible.
The search for a replacement for Essendon commenced in February 1958, when a panel was appointed to assess Melbourne's civil aviation
needs. In May 1959 it was announced that a new airport would be built at Tullamarine, with Prime Minister Robert Menzies
announcing on 27 November 1962 a five-year plan to provide Melbourne with a A$45 million "jetport" by 1967. The first sod at Tullamarine turned in two years later in November 1964. In line with the five-year plan, the runways at Essendon were expanded to handle larger aircraft, with Ansett Australia launched the Boeing 727
there in October 1964, the first jet aircraft used for domestic air travel in Australia. Air Force One
landed at Essendon on 22 December 1967, carrying United States President Lyndon B. Johnson
.
On 1 July 1970, Melbourne Airport was opened to international operations by Prime Minister John Gorton
, ending Essendon's near 2 decade run as Melbourne International Airport. Essendon still was home to domestic flights for one year, until they were transferred to Melbourne Airport on 26 June 1971, with the first arrival of a Boeing 747
occurring later that year. In the first year of operations, Melbourne handled six international airlines and 155,275 international passengers.
Melbourne Airport was originally called Tullamarine Airport, after the adjacent suburb of the same name. Tullamarine derives from the indigenous
name Tullamareena
. International has sporadically been used in the name of the airport. After privatisation, the name changed to Melbourne Airport, following the lead of most other major Australian airports. Locally, the airport is commonly referred to as Tullamarine or simply as Tulla to distinguish the airport from the other Melbourne airports: Avalon, Essendon and Moorabbin
.
On opening Melbourne Airport consisted of three connected terminals: International in the centre, with Ansett
to the left and TAA
to the right. The design capacity of the airport was eight Boeing 707
s at a rate of 500 passengers per hour, with minor expansion works completed in 1973 allowing Boeing 747
s to serve the airport. By the late 1980s peak passenger flows at the airport had reached 900 per hour, causing major congestion.
In late 1989, Federal Airports Corporation Inspector A. Rohead was put in charge of a bicentennial project to rename streets in Melbourne Airport to honour the original inhabitants, European pioneers and aviation history. Information on the first two categories was provided by Ian Hunter, Wurundjeri researcher, and Ray Gibb, local historian. The project was completed but was shelved, with the only suggested name that was allocated being Gowrie Park Drive, named after the farm at the heart of the airport. During the 1920s the farm had been used as a landing site for aircraft, which were parked at night during World War II
in case Essendon Aerodrome was bombed.
(FAC), placing Melbourne Airport under the operational control of the new corporation along with 21 other airports around the nation. In April 1994, the Australian Government announced that all airports operated by Federal Airports Corporation would be privatised in several phases. Melbourne Airport was included in the first phase, being acquired by the newly formed Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited
for $1.3 billion. The transfer was completed on 30 June 1997 on a 50 year long-term lease, with the option for a further 49 years. In July 1997, the Melbourne Airport website was launched, providing Australia's first real-time flight operations data over the internet.
The first major upgrades at the airport were carried out at the domestic terminals, with an expansion of the Ansett domestic terminal approved in 1989 and completed in 1991, adding a second pier added for use by smaller regional airlines. Work on an upgrade of the international terminal commenced in 1991, with the 'SkyPlaza' retail complex completed in late 1993 on a site flanking the main international departure gates. The rest of the work was completed in 1995, when the new three-level satellite concourse was opened at the end of the existing concourse. Diamond shaped and measuring 80-metres on each side, the additional 10 aerobridges provided by the expansion doubled the international passenger handing capacity at Melbourne Airport.
Since privatisation, further improvements to infrastructure have begun at the airport, including expansion of runways, car parks and terminals. The multi-storey carpark outside the terminal was completed between 1995 and August 1997 at a cost of $49 million, providing 3100 carparks, the majority undercover. This initially four-level structure replaced the previous open air carpark outside the terminal. Work commenced on the six-story 276 room Hilton Hotel (now Park Royal) above the carpark in January 1999, which was completed in mid-2000 at a cost of $55 million. Expansion of the Qantas domestic terminal was completed in 1999, featuring a second pier and 9 additional aircraft stands.
In December 2000 a fourth passenger terminal was opened: the Domestic Express Terminal, located to the south of the main terminal building at a cost of $9 million. It was the first additional passenger terminal facility to be built at Melbourne Airport since 1971.
Expansion of carparks has also continued with a $40 million project commenced in 2004, doubling the size of the short term carpark with the addition of 2500 spaces over six levels, along with 1200 new spaces added to the 5000 already available in the long term carpark. Revenue from retail operations at Melbourne Airport broke the $100 million mark for the first time in 2004, this being a 100 per cent increase in revenue since the first year of privatisation.
Widening of the main main north/south runway by 15 metres was completed over a 29 day period in May 2005, enabling the operation of the Airbus A380
. The works were followed in March 2006 by a 5,000sqm expansion of Terminal 2, and the construction of an additional level of airline lounges above the terminal. In 2008 a further 25,000sqm expansion of Terminal 2 commenced, costing $330 million with completion in 2011. The works added 5 additional aerobridges on a new passenger concourse, and a new 5,000sqm outbound passenger security and Customs processing zone.
and is located to the northern end of the building. Departures are located on the first floor, while arrivals are located on the ground floor. The terminal has 16 parking bays served by aerobridges; 12 are served by single aerobridges whilst four are served by double aerobridges. There are another five non aerobridge gates, which are used by QantasLink and Jetstar.
Opened with Melbourne Airport in 1970 for Trans Australia Airlines
, the terminal passed to Qantas in 1992 when they acquired the airline. Work on improving the original terminal commenced in October 1997 and was completed in late 1999 at a cost of cost $50 million, featuring a second pier, stands for 9 additional aircraft, a extended access roadway and the expansion of the terminal.complete.
Today, a wide range of shops and food outlets are situated at the end of the terminal near the entrance into Terminal 2. Qantas has a Qantas Club, Business Class and a Chairman's lounge in the terminal.
, Malaysia Airlines
, Qantas (which includes two lounges in Terminal 2, a First lounge and a Business lounge/Qantas Club), Singapore Airlines
, Air New Zealand
/United Airlines
and Emirates Airline
all operate airline lounges in the terminal.
The international terminal contains works by noted Australian Indigenous artists
including Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri
and Gloria Petyarre
.
A $330 million expansion programme for Terminal 2 was announced in 2007. The objectives of this project include new lounges and retail facilities, a new satellite terminal, increased luggage capacity and a redesign of customs and security areas. A new satellite terminal features floor-to-ceiling windows offers views of the North-South runway. The new concourse includes three double-decker aerobridges, each accommodating an A380 aircraft or two smaller aircraft and one single aerobridge. The baggage handling capacity will be increased, and two new baggage carousels will cater to increased A380 traffic. Work commenced in November 2007 and will be completed in 2011.
Although described as a satellite terminal, the terminal building is connected by an above-ground corridor to Terminal 2. Departures take place on the lower deck (similar to the A380 boarding lounges currently in use at Gates 9 and 11), with arrivals streamed on to the first floor to connect with the current first floor arrivals deck. All gates except for 18 and 20 are now handling passengers.
terminal, but is now owned by Melbourne Airport. Terminal 3 is home to Virgin Australia and Regional Express Airlines
. It currently has eleven parking bays served by single aerobridges and eight parking bays not equipped with aerobridges.
An expansion of the terminal was approved in 1989 and completed in 1991 when a second pier was added by Ansett to the south for use by smaller regional airline Kendell
. The terminal was used exclusively by the Ansett Group for all its domestic activities until its collapse in 2001. It was intended to be used by the "New" Ansett, under ownership of Tesna – however, following the Tesna group's withdrawal of the purchase of Ansett in 2002, the terminal was sold back to Melbourne Airport by Ansett's administrators. As a result, Melbourne Airport undertook a major renovation and facelift of the terminal, following which Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue) moved in from what was then called Domestic Express (now Terminal 4), and has since began operating The Lounge in the terminal, using the former Ansett Australia Golden Wing Lounge area. Regional Express also operates an airline lounge in the terminal.
. Virgin Blue eventually moved into Terminal 3 following the demise of Ansett. A $5 million refit began in June 2007 along the lines of the budget terminal model at Singapore Changi Airport
and Kuala Lumpur International Airport
. Lower landing
and airport handling fees are charged to airlines due to the basic facilities, lack of jet bridges, and fewer amenities and retail outlets compared to a conventional terminal. However, the terminal is located next to the main terminal building, unlike in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The terminal was rebuilt by Tiger Airways Australia, which has used it as its main hub since it operated its first domestic flight on 23 November 2007.
Jetstar Airways confirmed its involvement in discussions with Melbourne Airport regarding the expansion of terminal facilities to accommodate for the growth of domestic low-cost services. The proposed expansion of Terminal 4 includes infrastructure to accommodate Tiger Airways Australia and Jetstar Airways flights. These plans are currently in development, and the expansion of Terminal 4 would include the relocation of the current freight centre. If approved, the development is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take five years to complete.
Notes: These flights may make an intermediate stop en route to their listed final destination; however the airlines have no traffic rights to carry passengers solely between Melbourne and the intermediate Australian stop.
Hotel is located 100 metres (328.1 ft) from Terminal 2 atop the multi-level carpark. Work commenced on the six-story 280 room hotel in January 1999, which was completed in mid-2000. The hotel was originally a Hilton but was relaunched as the Parkroyal on 4 April 2011. Holiday Inn
has an outlet located 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) from the terminal precinct. Motel Formule 1
offers lodgings located 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) from the terminals. Mantra Tullamarine opened in 2009, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the terminal precinct.
-free and operates 24 hours a day, although between 2 am and 4 am, freight aircraft are more prevalent than passenger flights. In 2004, the environmental management systems were accredited ISO 14001, the world's best practice standard, making it the first airport in Australia to receive such accreditation.
. The A380 has been purchased by several airlines using the airport, namely Malaysia Airlines
, Qantas
, Qatar Airways
, Thai Airways
, Vietnam Airlines
, China Southern Airlines
, Singapore Airlines
, Korean Air
, Etihad Airways
and Emirates
. The improvements included the construction of dual airbridges (Gates 9 and 11) with the ability to board both decks simultaneously to reduce turnaround times, the widening of the North-South runway and remote stands and taxiways by 15 metres (49.2 ft), the extension of the international terminal building by 20 metres (65.6 ft) to include new penthouse airline lounges, and the construction of an additional baggage carousel in the arrivals hall. As a result the airport was the first in Australia to be capable of handling the A380. The A380 made its first test flight into the airport on 14 November 2005. On 15 May 2008 the A380 made its first passenger flight into the airport when a Singapore Airlines
Sydney-bound flight was diverted from Sydney Airport because of fog.
Beginning services in October 2008, Qantas was the first airline to operate the A380 from the airport, flying nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport
twice a week. This was the inaugural route for the Qantas A380. Qantas was followed by Singapore Airlines
, who now opearates the A380 daily to Singapore Changi Airport
. Singapore Airlines services began on 29 September 2009. Emirates intend to fly the A380 to Dubai International Airport
from March 2012.
On 5 June 2008, it was announced that the airport would install a Category III landing system, allowing planes to land in low visibility conditions, such as fog. This system will be the first of its kind in Australia, and was commissioned March 2010 at a cost of $10 million.
ranked Melbourne among the top five airports in the world in 1997 and 1998 and, in 2003, presented it with the Eagle Award. The Australian Airport Association named it the Airport of the Year in 1999, while Business Traveller Magazine and Airports Council International
have ranked Melbourne in the top ten every year from 1996 to 2000 and in the top five for airports that handle between 15 and 25 million passengers.
The airport has received recognition in other areas. It has won national and state tourism awards, and Singapore Airlines
presented the airport with the Service Partner Award and Premier Business Partner Award in 2002 and 2004, respectively. In 2006, the airport won the Australian Construction Achievement Award
for the runway widening project, dubbed "the most outstanding example of construction excellence for 2006".
, the airport is home to Melbourne Centre, an air traffic control
facility that is responsible for the separation of aircraft in Australia's busiest flight information region
, Melbourne FIR. Melbourne FIR monitors airspace over Victoria, Tasmania, southern New South Wales, most of South Australia, the southern half of Western Australia and airspace over the Indian
and Southern Ocean
. In total, the centre controls 6% of the world's airspace. The airport is also the home of the Canberra
approach and Melbourne approach facilities, which provide control services to aircraft arriving and departing at those airports.
. There were 195,900 aircraft movements, the vast majority being domestic passenger services. In the long term, the compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) for passenger movements is between 3.3% and 4.3%. For aircraft movements, the CAAGR is between 1.8% and 2.6%. This firmly entrenches Melbourne as Australia's second busiest airport, ahead of Brisbane
and behind Sydney.
The following table lists passenger statistics for Melbourne Airport. Forecast statistics are in dark grey.
and is accessible via CityLink
and the Tullamarine Freeway
. One freeway offramp runs directly into the airport grounds, and a second to the south serves freight transport, taxis, buses and airport staff. Melbourne Airport has five car parks, all of which operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The short-term, multi-level long-term, business and express carparks are covered, while the long-term parking is not. The main multi-level carpark in front of the terminal was built in the late 1990s, replacing the pre-existing ground-level car parking. It has been progressively expanded ever since.
service is the main public transport link to the airport, taking approximately 20 minutes to reach Southern Cross Station
in the Melbourne central business district. From Southern Cross, travellers can access V/Line
regional and Metro Trains Melbourne
suburban trains, Yarra Trams
and interstate train and bus services.
There are four local bus services to Melbourne Airport. The route 901 SmartBus
service was introduced in September 2010, and is much more frequent than the other local bus services.
There are nine other bus companies serving the airport, with services to Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong, Frankston
, Mornington Peninsula
, Geelong, Melbourne's suburbs, Shepparton and the Riverina
. These provide alternatives to transfer onto V/Line services.
In 2001, the state government
investigated the construction of a heavy rail link to the airport under the Linking Victoria
programme. Two options were considered; the first branched off the Craigieburn Suburban Line to the east, and the second branched off the Albion Goods Line, which passes close to the airport's boundary to the south. The second option was preferred. Market research concluded most passengers preferred traveling to the airport by taxi or car, and poor patronage of similar links in Sydney and Brisbane
cast doubt on the viability of the project. This led to the project being deferred until at least 2012. On 21 July 2008, the Premier of Victoria reaffirmed the government's commitment to a rail link and said that it would be considered within three to five years. To maximise future development options, the airport is lobbying for the on-grounds section of the railway to be underground.
In 2010, Martin Pakula
of the Labor Party, newly appointed State Minister for Public Transport announced that the rail link had been taken off the agenda with new freeway options being explored instead, however a change of government at the 2010 Victorian State Election
to Liberals, saw policy for the introduction of the rail link return to the agenda, with a promise by the incoming Coalition government to undertake planning for its construction.
AirAsia X
was widely expected to launch international flights to Kuala Lumpur
from Avalon in October 2008. However, Linfox's
proposal to upgrade Avalon's international facilities was rejected on 5 June 2008, which prompted AirAsia X to announce flights from Melbourne Airport on 20 August 2008. Linfox vowed to resolve the Government's concerns and build the terminal, but on 14 November 2008, announced that upgrading Avalon to handle international flights would no longer be viable due to the government's resistance. Then on 10 March 2009, Linfox announced that Avalon would indeed handle international flights within two years and the Government would approve of a $50 million terminal by the end of 2009.
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...
. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the Melbourne metropolitan area
Metropolitan area
The term metropolitan area refers to a region consisting of a densely populated urban core and its less-populated surrounding territories, sharing industry, infrastructure, and housing. A metropolitan area usually encompasses multiple jurisdictions and municipalities: neighborhoods, townships,...
.
The airport is 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) from the city centre
Melbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
. The airport has its own postcode—Melbourne Airport, Victoria
Melbourne Airport, Victoria
Melbourne Airport is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 19 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Hume. At the 2006 Census, Melbourne Airport had a population of 18...
(postcode
Postcodes in Australia
Postcodes are used in Australia to sort and send mail to the correct address. All postcodes in Australia have four numbers and are placed at the end of the address...
3045). This is adjacent to the suburb of Tullamarine
Tullamarine, Victoria
Tullamarine is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 17 km north-west from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area are the Cities of Hume, Brimbank and Moreland. At the 2006 Census, Tullamarine had a population of 6,541....
.
The Melbourne—Sydney air route is the fourth most-travelled passenger air route
World's busiest passenger air routes
The busiest air routes in the world appear to involve pairs of large cities in close proximity, but which rely more on air transport due to a lack of High Speed Rail, and the distance is large enough to discourage car driving...
in the world and the second busiest in the Asia Pacific region. The airport features direct flight
Direct flight
A direct flight in the aviation industry is any flight between two points by an airline with no change in flight numbers, which may include a stop over at an intermediate point. The stop over may either be to get new passengers or a mere technical stop over...
s to 33 destinations in all states and territories of Australia in addition to numerous destinations in Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most common destination for the airports of five of Australia's seven capital cities. Melbourne serves as a major hub for Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
and Virgin Australia, while Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways
Jetstar Airways is an Australian low-cost airline headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. It is a subsidiary of Qantas, created in response to the threat posed by low-cost airline Virgin Blue...
and Tiger Airways Australia
Tiger Airways Australia
Tiger Airways Australia Pty Ltd, operating as Tiger Airways Australia, is a low cost airline which commenced services in the Australian domestic airline market on 23 November 2007. It is a subsidiary of Tiger Airways Holdings, a Singapore-based company, which is owned partially by Singapore Airlines...
utilise the airport as home base. Melbourne is the busiest airport for international export freight as of August 2011, while second busiest for import freight. Domestically, Melbourne serves as headquarters for Australian air Express
Australian Air Express
Australian air Express is a logistics company based in Melbourne, Australia. It operates freight-only services within Australia using leased Qantas, National Jet Systems, and Pel-Air aircraft and a fleet of land vehicles...
and Toll Priority
Toll Priority
Toll Priority is a logistics company and cargo airline based in Mascot, New South Wales, Australia with operations from Melbourne, Sydney , Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, Canberra and Darwin....
and handles more domestic freight than any other airport in the nation.
In 2003, Melbourne received the International Air Transport Association
International Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
Eagle Award for service and two National Tourism Awards for tourism services. The airport comprises four terminals: one international terminal, two domestic terminals and one budget domestic terminal.
Establishment
Essendon Airport
Essendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...
which was officially designated an international airport in 1950. In the mid 1950s, over 10,000 passengers were using Essendon Airport and the limitations of Essendon Airport were beginning to become apparent. Essendon Airport's facilities were insufficient to meet the increasing demand for air travel; the runways were too short to handle the then new jet airliners and the terminals failed to handle the increase in passengers, by the mid 1950s, an international overflow terminal was built in a new northern hangar. Due to the encroachment of the urban boundary, the airport had become surrounded by residential housing, meaning that expansion of Essendon Airport was not possible.
The search for a replacement for Essendon commenced in February 1958, when a panel was appointed to assess Melbourne's civil aviation
needs. In May 1959 it was announced that a new airport would be built at Tullamarine, with Prime Minister Robert Menzies
Robert Menzies
Sir Robert Gordon Menzies, , Australian politician, was the 12th and longest-serving Prime Minister of Australia....
announcing on 27 November 1962 a five-year plan to provide Melbourne with a A$45 million "jetport" by 1967. The first sod at Tullamarine turned in two years later in November 1964. In line with the five-year plan, the runways at Essendon were expanded to handle larger aircraft, with Ansett Australia launched the Boeing 727
Boeing 727
The Boeing 727 is a mid-size, narrow-body, three-engine, T-tailed commercial jet airliner, manufactured by Boeing. The Boeing 727 first flew in 1963, and for over a decade more were built per year than any other jet airliner. When production ended in 1984 a total of 1,832 aircraft had been produced...
there in October 1964, the first jet aircraft used for domestic air travel in Australia. Air Force One
Air Force One
Air Force One is the official air traffic control call sign of any United States Air Force aircraft carrying the President of the United States. In common parlance the term refers to those Air Force aircraft whose primary mission is to transport the president; however, any U.S. Air Force aircraft...
landed at Essendon on 22 December 1967, carrying United States President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
.
On 1 July 1970, Melbourne Airport was opened to international operations by Prime Minister John Gorton
John Gorton
Sir John Grey Gorton, GCMG, AC, CH , Australian politician, was the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.-Early life:...
, ending Essendon's near 2 decade run as Melbourne International Airport. Essendon still was home to domestic flights for one year, until they were transferred to Melbourne Airport on 26 June 1971, with the first arrival of a Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
occurring later that year. In the first year of operations, Melbourne handled six international airlines and 155,275 international passengers.
Melbourne Airport was originally called Tullamarine Airport, after the adjacent suburb of the same name. Tullamarine derives from the indigenous
Indigenous Australians
Indigenous Australians are the original inhabitants of the Australian continent and nearby islands. The Aboriginal Indigenous Australians migrated from the Indian continent around 75,000 to 100,000 years ago....
name Tullamareena
Tullamareena
Tullamareena was a senior man of the Wurundjeri, a Koori, people of the Melbourne area, at the time of the British settlement in Victoria, Australia, in 1835. He is believed to be present at the signing of John Batman's land deal in 1835. He was known to be a resistor to British occupation of...
. International has sporadically been used in the name of the airport. After privatisation, the name changed to Melbourne Airport, following the lead of most other major Australian airports. Locally, the airport is commonly referred to as Tullamarine or simply as Tulla to distinguish the airport from the other Melbourne airports: Avalon, Essendon and Moorabbin
Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin Airport is a general aviation airport for light aircraft located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia. The airport grounds are treated as their own suburb, designated the postcode 3194. The airport opened in December 1949. Originally the intent was to name the airport "Mentone" but this was...
.
On opening Melbourne Airport consisted of three connected terminals: International in the centre, with Ansett
Ansett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...
to the left and TAA
Trans Australia Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines or TAA, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996. During that period TAA played a major part in the development of the Australian air transport industry...
to the right. The design capacity of the airport was eight Boeing 707
Boeing 707
The Boeing 707 is a four-engine narrow-body commercial passenger jet airliner developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. Its name is most commonly pronounced as "Seven Oh Seven". The first airline to operate the 707 was Pan American World Airways, inaugurating the type's first commercial flight on...
s at a rate of 500 passengers per hour, with minor expansion works completed in 1973 allowing Boeing 747
Boeing 747
The Boeing 747 is a wide-body commercial airliner and cargo transport, often referred to by its original nickname, Jumbo Jet, or Queen of the Skies. It is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body ever produced...
s to serve the airport. By the late 1980s peak passenger flows at the airport had reached 900 per hour, causing major congestion.
In late 1989, Federal Airports Corporation Inspector A. Rohead was put in charge of a bicentennial project to rename streets in Melbourne Airport to honour the original inhabitants, European pioneers and aviation history. Information on the first two categories was provided by Ian Hunter, Wurundjeri researcher, and Ray Gibb, local historian. The project was completed but was shelved, with the only suggested name that was allocated being Gowrie Park Drive, named after the farm at the heart of the airport. During the 1920s the farm had been used as a landing site for aircraft, which were parked at night during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in case Essendon Aerodrome was bombed.
Expansion and privatisation
In 1988, the Australian Government formed the Federal Airports CorporationFederal Airports Corporation
The Federal Airports Corporation was a business enterprise of the Government of Australia responsible for the operation of major passenger airports in Australia. At the beginning of 1997 the corporation operated 22 airports and handled over 60 million passenger annually.It was established by an...
(FAC), placing Melbourne Airport under the operational control of the new corporation along with 21 other airports around the nation. In April 1994, the Australian Government announced that all airports operated by Federal Airports Corporation would be privatised in several phases. Melbourne Airport was included in the first phase, being acquired by the newly formed Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited
Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited
Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited is an unlisted company and owner of two Australian airports: Melbourne Airport and Launceston Airport...
for $1.3 billion. The transfer was completed on 30 June 1997 on a 50 year long-term lease, with the option for a further 49 years. In July 1997, the Melbourne Airport website was launched, providing Australia's first real-time flight operations data over the internet.
The first major upgrades at the airport were carried out at the domestic terminals, with an expansion of the Ansett domestic terminal approved in 1989 and completed in 1991, adding a second pier added for use by smaller regional airlines. Work on an upgrade of the international terminal commenced in 1991, with the 'SkyPlaza' retail complex completed in late 1993 on a site flanking the main international departure gates. The rest of the work was completed in 1995, when the new three-level satellite concourse was opened at the end of the existing concourse. Diamond shaped and measuring 80-metres on each side, the additional 10 aerobridges provided by the expansion doubled the international passenger handing capacity at Melbourne Airport.
Since privatisation, further improvements to infrastructure have begun at the airport, including expansion of runways, car parks and terminals. The multi-storey carpark outside the terminal was completed between 1995 and August 1997 at a cost of $49 million, providing 3100 carparks, the majority undercover. This initially four-level structure replaced the previous open air carpark outside the terminal. Work commenced on the six-story 276 room Hilton Hotel (now Park Royal) above the carpark in January 1999, which was completed in mid-2000 at a cost of $55 million. Expansion of the Qantas domestic terminal was completed in 1999, featuring a second pier and 9 additional aircraft stands.
In December 2000 a fourth passenger terminal was opened: the Domestic Express Terminal, located to the south of the main terminal building at a cost of $9 million. It was the first additional passenger terminal facility to be built at Melbourne Airport since 1971.
Expansion of carparks has also continued with a $40 million project commenced in 2004, doubling the size of the short term carpark with the addition of 2500 spaces over six levels, along with 1200 new spaces added to the 5000 already available in the long term carpark. Revenue from retail operations at Melbourne Airport broke the $100 million mark for the first time in 2004, this being a 100 per cent increase in revenue since the first year of privatisation.
Widening of the main main north/south runway by 15 metres was completed over a 29 day period in May 2005, enabling the operation of the Airbus A380
Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
. The works were followed in March 2006 by a 5,000sqm expansion of Terminal 2, and the construction of an additional level of airline lounges above the terminal. In 2008 a further 25,000sqm expansion of Terminal 2 commenced, costing $330 million with completion in 2011. The works added 5 additional aerobridges on a new passenger concourse, and a new 5,000sqm outbound passenger security and Customs processing zone.
Terminals
Melbourne Airport's terminals have 56 gates: 40 domestic and 16 international. There are five dedicated freighter parking positions on the Southern Freighter Apron. The current terminal numbering system was introduced in July 2005; they were previously known as Qantas Domestic, International, and South (formerly Ansett Domestic).Terminal 1
Terminal 1 hosts domestic services for Qantas Group airlines, Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLinkQantasLink
QantasLink is a regional brand of Australian airline Qantas and is an affiliate member of the Oneworld airline alliance. It is a major competitor to Regional Express Airlines, Virgin Australia and Skywest Airlines. As of September 2010 QantasLink provides 1900 flights each week to 54 domestic and...
and is located to the northern end of the building. Departures are located on the first floor, while arrivals are located on the ground floor. The terminal has 16 parking bays served by aerobridges; 12 are served by single aerobridges whilst four are served by double aerobridges. There are another five non aerobridge gates, which are used by QantasLink and Jetstar.
Opened with Melbourne Airport in 1970 for Trans Australia Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines
Trans Australia Airlines or TAA, was one of the two major Australian domestic airlines between its inception in 1946 and its sale to Qantas in May 1996. During that period TAA played a major part in the development of the Australian air transport industry...
, the terminal passed to Qantas in 1992 when they acquired the airline. Work on improving the original terminal commenced in October 1997 and was completed in late 1999 at a cost of cost $50 million, featuring a second pier, stands for 9 additional aircraft, a extended access roadway and the expansion of the terminal.complete.
Today, a wide range of shops and food outlets are situated at the end of the terminal near the entrance into Terminal 2. Qantas has a Qantas Club, Business Class and a Chairman's lounge in the terminal.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 handles all international flights out of Melbourne Airport and the city and opened with the airport in 1970. The terminal has 16 gates with aerobridges, (although gates 18 & 20 are yet to be fitted). The terminal also has 2 standoff (non aerobridge) gates. Cathay PacificCathay Pacific
Cathay Pacific is the flag carrier of Hong Kong, with its head office and main hub located at Hong Kong International Airport, although the airline's registered office is on the 33rd floor of One Pacific Place...
, Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
, Qantas (which includes two lounges in Terminal 2, a First lounge and a Business lounge/Qantas Club), Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
, Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand
Air New Zealand Limited is the national airline and flag carrier of New Zealand. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the airline operates scheduled passenger flights to 26 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations in 15 countries across Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania, and is...
/United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
and Emirates Airline
Emirates Airline
Emirates is the airline based in the Emirate of Dubai part of the United Arab Emirates . Based at Dubai International Airport it is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 2,400 flights per week, from its hub at Terminal 3, to 111 cities in 62 countries across six continents...
all operate airline lounges in the terminal.
The international terminal contains works by noted Australian Indigenous artists
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art
Contemporary Indigenous Australian art is the modern art work produced by Indigenous Australians. It is generally regarded as beginning with a painting movement that started at Papunya, northwest of Alice Springs, Northern Territory in 1971, involving artists such as Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri...
including Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri
Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri
Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri was a Pintupi- and Luritja-speaking Indigenous artist from Australia's Western Desert region, and sister of artist Molly Jugadai Napaltjarri...
and Gloria Petyarre
Gloria Petyarre
Gloria Petyarre is an Australian Aboriginal artist from the Anmatyerre community, just north of Alice Springs...
.
A $330 million expansion programme for Terminal 2 was announced in 2007. The objectives of this project include new lounges and retail facilities, a new satellite terminal, increased luggage capacity and a redesign of customs and security areas. A new satellite terminal features floor-to-ceiling windows offers views of the North-South runway. The new concourse includes three double-decker aerobridges, each accommodating an A380 aircraft or two smaller aircraft and one single aerobridge. The baggage handling capacity will be increased, and two new baggage carousels will cater to increased A380 traffic. Work commenced in November 2007 and will be completed in 2011.
Although described as a satellite terminal, the terminal building is connected by an above-ground corridor to Terminal 2. Departures take place on the lower deck (similar to the A380 boarding lounges currently in use at Gates 9 and 11), with arrivals streamed on to the first floor to connect with the current first floor arrivals deck. All gates except for 18 and 20 are now handling passengers.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 – opened with the airport as the Ansett AustraliaAnsett Australia
Ansett Australia, Ansett, Ansett Airlines of Australia, or ANSETT-ANA as it was commonly known in earlier years, was a major Australian airline group, based in Melbourne. The airlines flew domestically within Australia and to destinations in Asia during its operation in 1996...
terminal, but is now owned by Melbourne Airport. Terminal 3 is home to Virgin Australia and Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Airlines
Regional Express Pty Ltd is an airline based in Wagga Wagga, New South Wales, Australia. It operates scheduled regional services. It is Australia's largest regional airline outside the Qantas group of companies and serves New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria, North Queensland and Tasmania...
. It currently has eleven parking bays served by single aerobridges and eight parking bays not equipped with aerobridges.
An expansion of the terminal was approved in 1989 and completed in 1991 when a second pier was added by Ansett to the south for use by smaller regional airline Kendell
Kendell
Kendell Airlines was a regional airline in Australia, at times the largest in the country. It served major regional centres in New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania from Melbourne, Adelaide, and Sydney...
. The terminal was used exclusively by the Ansett Group for all its domestic activities until its collapse in 2001. It was intended to be used by the "New" Ansett, under ownership of Tesna – however, following the Tesna group's withdrawal of the purchase of Ansett in 2002, the terminal was sold back to Melbourne Airport by Ansett's administrators. As a result, Melbourne Airport undertook a major renovation and facelift of the terminal, following which Virgin Australia (then Virgin Blue) moved in from what was then called Domestic Express (now Terminal 4), and has since began operating The Lounge in the terminal, using the former Ansett Australia Golden Wing Lounge area. Regional Express also operates an airline lounge in the terminal.
Terminal 4
Terminal 4 — originally called the Domestic Express or South Terminal — is dedicated to budget airlines and is the first facility of its kind at a conventional airport in Australia. It was originally constructed for Virgin Blue (Virgin Australia) and Impulse AirlinesImpulse Airlines
Impulse Airlines was an independent airline in Australia which operated regional and low cost trunk services between 1994 and 2001. It was acquired by Qantas in 2001 and later formed the basis of Qantas' low-cost airline Jetstar...
. Virgin Blue eventually moved into Terminal 3 following the demise of Ansett. A $5 million refit began in June 2007 along the lines of the budget terminal model at Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
and Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport , or KLIA serves the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and is one of Southeast Asia's largest airports. It is also Malaysia's main international airport. It is situated in the Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about from Kuala Lumpur...
. Lower landing
Landing fee
A landing fee is a charge paid by an aircraft to an airport company for landing at a particular airport. Landing fees can vary greatly between airports, with congested airports, ones where most of the landing slots are held by airlines being able to charge premium prices because of supply and...
and airport handling fees are charged to airlines due to the basic facilities, lack of jet bridges, and fewer amenities and retail outlets compared to a conventional terminal. However, the terminal is located next to the main terminal building, unlike in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The terminal was rebuilt by Tiger Airways Australia, which has used it as its main hub since it operated its first domestic flight on 23 November 2007.
Jetstar Airways confirmed its involvement in discussions with Melbourne Airport regarding the expansion of terminal facilities to accommodate for the growth of domestic low-cost services. The proposed expansion of Terminal 4 includes infrastructure to accommodate Tiger Airways Australia and Jetstar Airways flights. These plans are currently in development, and the expansion of Terminal 4 would include the relocation of the current freight centre. If approved, the development is expected to cost hundreds of millions of dollars and take five years to complete.
Southern Freighter Apron
The Southern Freighter Apron has five dedicated freighter parking positions which host 21 dedicated freighter operations a week. In August 1997, the fifth freighter parking position and the apron was extended.Airlines and destinations
Notes: These flights may make an intermediate stop en route to their listed final destination; however the airlines have no traffic rights to carry passengers solely between Melbourne and the intermediate Australian stop.
Cargo services
The following airlines operate cargo-only services from Melbourne Airport’s Southern Freighter Apron:Other facilities
Melbourne Airport is served by four hotels. A ParkroyalParkroyal
The first Parkroyal hotel opened in Melbourne, Australia in 1961.In 1986, the world's first Parkroyal Saigon Floating Hotel with 186 rooms was built by Bethlehem Shipyard in Singapore and anchored in Queensland, Australia in 1987. The hotel was later towed across the Great Barrier Reef to the...
Hotel is located 100 metres (328.1 ft) from Terminal 2 atop the multi-level carpark. Work commenced on the six-story 280 room hotel in January 1999, which was completed in mid-2000. The hotel was originally a Hilton but was relaunched as the Parkroyal on 4 April 2011. Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn
Holiday Inn is a brand of hotels, formally a economy motel chain, forming part of the British InterContinental Hotels Group . It is one of the world's largest hotel chains with 238,440 bedrooms and 1,301 hotels globally. There are currently 5 hotels in the pipeline...
has an outlet located 400 metres (1,312.3 ft) from the terminal precinct. Motel Formule 1
Hotel Formule 1
Hotel Formule 1 is an international chain of "super low budget" or "no frills" hotels owned by the Accor Group. Rooms rent for around €29 per night.There are in excess of 380 hotels in 13 countries worldwide. As with Etap, most are located in France....
offers lodgings located 600 metres (1,968.5 ft) from the terminals. Mantra Tullamarine opened in 2009, 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the terminal precinct.
Operations
Melbourne is the second busiest airport in Australia. The airport is curfewCurfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
-free and operates 24 hours a day, although between 2 am and 4 am, freight aircraft are more prevalent than passenger flights. In 2004, the environmental management systems were accredited ISO 14001, the world's best practice standard, making it the first airport in Australia to receive such accreditation.
Airbus A380
Construction works were undertaken to prepare the airport for the arrival of the double-decker Airbus A380Airbus A380
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by the European corporation Airbus, a subsidiary of EADS. It is the largest passenger airliner in the world. Due to its size, many airports had to modify and improve facilities to accommodate it...
. The A380 has been purchased by several airlines using the airport, namely Malaysia Airlines
Malaysia Airlines
Malaysian Airline System Berhad , DBA Malaysia Airlines , is the government-owned flag carrier of Malaysia. Malaysia Airlines operates flights from its home base, Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and its eastern hub in Kota Kinabalu. It has its headquarters on the grounds of Sultan Abdul Aziz...
, Qantas
Qantas
Qantas Airways Limited is the flag carrier of Australia. The name was originally "QANTAS", an initialism for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services". Nicknamed "The Flying Kangaroo", the airline is based in Sydney, with its main hub at Sydney Airport...
, Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways
Qatar Airways Company Q.C.S.C. , operating as Qatar Airways, is the flag carrier of Qatar. Headquartered in the Qatar Airways Tower in Doha, it operates a hub-and-spoke network, linking over 100 international destinations from its base in Doha, using a fleet of over 100 aircraft...
, Thai Airways
Thai Airways International
Thai Airways International Public Company Limited is the national flag carrier and largest airline of Thailand. Formed in 1988, the airline's headquarters are located in Chatuchak District, Bangkok, and operates out of Suvarnabhumi Airport. Thai is a founding member of the Star Alliance. Thai is a...
, Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines
Vietnam Airlines Company Limited, trading as Vietnam Airlines , is the national flag carrier of Vietnam. Founded in 1956 under the name Vietnam Civil Aviation, the airline was established as a state enterprise in April 1989. Vietnam Airlines is headquartered in Long Bien, Hanoi, with hubs at Noi...
, China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines
China Southern Airlines is an airline headquartered in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, People's Republic of China. It is the world's sixth-largest airline measured by passengers carried, and Asia's largest airline in terms of both fleet size and passengers carried...
, Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
, Korean Air
Korean Air
Korean Air Lines Co., Ltd. , operating as Korean Air, is both the flag carrier and the largest airline of South Korea, with global headquarters located in Seoul, South Korea. Korean Air's international passenger division and related subsidiary cargo division together serve 130 cities in 45...
, Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways
Etihad Airways is the flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates. Established in July 2003 and based at Abu Dhabi International Airport, Etihad commenced operations in November 2003....
and Emirates
Emirates Airline
Emirates is the airline based in the Emirate of Dubai part of the United Arab Emirates . Based at Dubai International Airport it is the largest airline in the Middle East, operating over 2,400 flights per week, from its hub at Terminal 3, to 111 cities in 62 countries across six continents...
. The improvements included the construction of dual airbridges (Gates 9 and 11) with the ability to board both decks simultaneously to reduce turnaround times, the widening of the North-South runway and remote stands and taxiways by 15 metres (49.2 ft), the extension of the international terminal building by 20 metres (65.6 ft) to include new penthouse airline lounges, and the construction of an additional baggage carousel in the arrivals hall. As a result the airport was the first in Australia to be capable of handling the A380. The A380 made its first test flight into the airport on 14 November 2005. On 15 May 2008 the A380 made its first passenger flight into the airport when a Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
Sydney-bound flight was diverted from Sydney Airport because of fog.
Beginning services in October 2008, Qantas was the first airline to operate the A380 from the airport, flying nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually...
twice a week. This was the inaugural route for the Qantas A380. Qantas was followed by Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
, who now opearates the A380 daily to Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport
Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site....
. Singapore Airlines services began on 29 September 2009. Emirates intend to fly the A380 to Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport
Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
from March 2012.
Runways
Melbourne Airport has two intersecting runways: one 3657 metres (11,998 ft) north–south and one 2286 metres (7,500 ft) east–west. Due to increasing traffic, several runway expansions are planned, including an 843 metres (2,765.7 ft) extension of the North-South runway to lengthen it to 4500 metres (14,763.8 ft), and a 1214 metres (3,982.9 ft) extension of the east–west runway to a total of 3500 metres (11,482.9 ft). Two new runways are also planned: a 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) runway parallel to the current north–south runway and a 3000 metres (9,842.5 ft) runway south of the current east–west runway. Traffic movement is expected to reach 248,000 per annum by 2017, necessitating a third runway.On 5 June 2008, it was announced that the airport would install a Category III landing system, allowing planes to land in low visibility conditions, such as fog. This system will be the first of its kind in Australia, and was commissioned March 2010 at a cost of $10 million.
Awards and accolades
Melbourne Airport has received numerous awards. The International Air Transport AssociationInternational Air Transport Association
The International Air Transport Association is an international industry trade group of airlines headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, where the International Civil Aviation Organization is also headquartered. The executive offices are at the Geneva Airport in SwitzerlandIATA's mission is to...
ranked Melbourne among the top five airports in the world in 1997 and 1998 and, in 2003, presented it with the Eagle Award. The Australian Airport Association named it the Airport of the Year in 1999, while Business Traveller Magazine and Airports Council International
Airports Council International
Airports Council International is the association of the world’s airports. It is a non profit organization, whose prime purpose is to advance the interests of airports and to promote professional excellence in airport management and operations...
have ranked Melbourne in the top ten every year from 1996 to 2000 and in the top five for airports that handle between 15 and 25 million passengers.
The airport has received recognition in other areas. It has won national and state tourism awards, and Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines
Singapore Airlines Limited is the flag carrier airline of Singapore. Singapore Airlines operates a hub at Changi Airport and has a strong presence in the Southeast Asia, East Asia, South Asia, and "Kangaroo Route" markets...
presented the airport with the Service Partner Award and Premier Business Partner Award in 2002 and 2004, respectively. In 2006, the airport won the Australian Construction Achievement Award
Australian Construction Achievement Award
The Australian Construction Achievement Award is the Australian construction industry’s most prestigious award presented annually since 1997....
for the runway widening project, dubbed "the most outstanding example of construction excellence for 2006".
Melbourne Centre
In addition to the onsite control towerControl tower
A control tower, or more specifically an Air Traffic Control Tower , is the name of the airport building from which the air traffic control unit controls the movement of aircraft on and around the airport. Control towers are also used to control the traffic for other forms of transportation such...
, the airport is home to Melbourne Centre, an air traffic control
Air traffic control
Air traffic control is a service provided by ground-based controllers who direct aircraft on the ground and in the air. The primary purpose of ATC systems worldwide is to separate aircraft to prevent collisions, to organize and expedite the flow of traffic, and to provide information and other...
facility that is responsible for the separation of aircraft in Australia's busiest flight information region
Flight Information Region
In aviation a flight information region is a region of airspace with specific dimensions, in which a flight information service and an alerting service are provided. It is the largest regular division of airspace in use in the world today....
, Melbourne FIR. Melbourne FIR monitors airspace over Victoria, Tasmania, southern New South Wales, most of South Australia, the southern half of Western Australia and airspace over the Indian
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and Southern Ocean
Southern Ocean
The Southern Ocean comprises the southernmost waters of the World Ocean, generally taken to be south of 60°S latitude and encircling Antarctica. It is usually regarded as the fourth-largest of the five principal oceanic divisions...
. In total, the centre controls 6% of the world's airspace. The airport is also the home of the Canberra
Canberra International Airport
Canberra International Airport , now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, and the city of Queanbeyan, NSW. Located at the eastern edge of North Canberra, it is the 8th busiest airport in Australia. The airport is the main hub for Brindabella Airlines...
approach and Melbourne approach facilities, which provide control services to aircraft arriving and departing at those airports.
Traffic and statistics
Melbourne Airport recorded more than 26.3 million passengers in 2009–10. 5.54 million of those were international, with the remaining 20.63 million being domesticDomestic airport
A domestic airport is an airport which handles only domestic flights or flights within the same country. Domestic airports don't have customs and immigration facilities and are therefore incapable of handling flights to or from a foreign airport....
. There were 195,900 aircraft movements, the vast majority being domestic passenger services. In the long term, the compounded average annual growth rate (CAAGR) for passenger movements is between 3.3% and 4.3%. For aircraft movements, the CAAGR is between 1.8% and 2.6%. This firmly entrenches Melbourne as Australia's second busiest airport, ahead of Brisbane
Brisbane Airport
Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area...
and behind Sydney.
The following table lists passenger statistics for Melbourne Airport. Forecast statistics are in dark grey.
| Year | Passenger movements (millions) | Aircraft movements (thousands) |
|---|---|---|
| 1997–98 | 14.20 | 154.13 |
| 1998–99 | 14.58 | 156.80 |
| 1999–00 | 15.57 | 164.67 |
| 2000–01 | 17.24 | 187.36 |
| 2001–02 | 16.48 | 157.60 |
| 2002–03 | 16.92 | 157.92 |
| 2003–04 | 19.16 | 165.26 |
| 2004–05 | 20.78 | 180.51 |
| 2005–06 | 21.43 | 179.51 |
| 2006–07 | 22.50 | 180.16 |
| 2007–08 | 24.26 | 193.83 |
| 2008–09 | 24.77 | 195.02 |
| 2009–10 | 26.29 | 195.90 |
| 2010–11 | 28.19 | 195.90 |
| 2012–13 | 27.4–29.8 | 203.0–217.0 |
| 2017–18 | 32.5–37.1 | 223.9–247.4 |
| 2022–23 | 38.5–45.8 | 243.9–281.7 |
| 2027–28 | 43.9–54.9 | 263.2–316.5 |
| Rank | Airport | Freight tonnes handled | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Singapore Changi AirportSingapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site.... |
50,751.8 | 3.3 |
| 2 |  Hong Kong International AirportHong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial... |
36,450.4 | 4.7 |
| 3 |  Auckland Airport |
24,105.8 | 22.8 |
| 4 |  Kuala Lumpur International AirportKuala Lumpur International Airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport , or KLIA serves the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and is one of Southeast Asia's largest airports. It is also Malaysia's main international airport. It is situated in the Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about from Kuala Lumpur... |
19,712.7 | 6.4 |
| 5 |  Suvarnabhumi AirportSuvarnabhumi Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport , also known as Bangkok International Airport, is an international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. It was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September... |
17,237.8 | 4.3 |
| 6 |  Dubai International AirportDubai International Airport Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai... |
13,692.6 | 4.1 |
| 7 |  Los Angeles International AirportLos Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
5,663.1 | 15.8 |
| 8 | O'Hare International Airport O'Hare International Airport Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop... |
3,189.5 | 52.5 |
| 9 |  Shanghai Pudong International AirportShanghai Pudong International Airport Shanghai Pudong International Airport is the primary international airport serving Shanghai, China, and a major aviation hub in Asia. The other major airport in Shanghai, Hongqiao, mainly serves domestic flights... |
2,902.5 | 22.3 |
| 10 |  Ngurah Rai International Airport |
2,456.0 | 18.9 |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport Singapore Changi Airport , Changi International Airport, or simply Changi Airport, is the main airport in Singapore. A major aviation hub in Southeast Asia, it is about north-east from the commercial centre in Changi, on a site.... |
911,714 | 6.0 |
| 2 | Auckland Airport |
755,148 | 1.3 |
| 3 | Kuala Lumpur International Airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport Kuala Lumpur International Airport , or KLIA serves the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and is one of Southeast Asia's largest airports. It is also Malaysia's main international airport. It is situated in the Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about from Kuala Lumpur... |
608,525 | 50.9 |
| 4 | Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport Hong Kong International Airport is the main airport in Hong Kong. It is colloquially known as Chek Lap Kok Airport , being built on the island of Chek Lap Kok by land reclamation, and also to distinguish it from its predecessor, the closed Kai Tak Airport.The airport opened for commercial... |
501,856 | 0.5 |
| 5 | Suvarnabhumi Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport Suvarnabhumi Airport , also known as Bangkok International Airport, is an international airport serving Bangkok, Thailand. It was officially opened for limited domestic flight service on 15 September 2006, and opened for most domestic and all international commercial flights on 28 September... |
378,616 | 4.0 |
| 6 | Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary airport serving the Greater Los Angeles Area, the second-most populated metropolitan area in the United States. It is most often referred to by its IATA airport code LAX, with the letters pronounced individually... |
333,535 | 13.6 |
| 7 | Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport Dubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai... |
338,404 | 2.6 |
| 8 | Christchurch International Airport Christchurch International Airport -Facts & figures:As the gateway for Christchurch and the South Island, Christchurch International Airport is New Zealand’s second largest airport.5,908,077 passengers travelled in and out of Christchurch International Airport from 1 July 2008 to 30 June 2009... |
309,314 | 9.6 |
| 9 | Ngurah Rai International Airport |
176,477 | 22.7 |
| 10 |  London Heathrow AirportLondon Heathrow Airport London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe... |
152,745 | 22.5 |
| Rank | Airport | Passengers handled | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Sydney AirportSydney Airport Sydney Airport may refer to:* Sydney Airport, also known as Kingsford Smith International Airport, in Sydney, Australia* Sydney/J.A. Douglas McCurdy Airport, in Nova Scotia, Canada... |
7,862,800 | 13.6 |
| 2 |  Brisbane AirportBrisbane Airport Brisbane Airport is the sole passenger airport serving Brisbane and the third busiest in Australia, after Melbourne and Sydney Airports. Brisbane Airport has won many awards. Located in the suburb with the same name, the airport serves the city of Brisbane and the surrounding metropolitan area... |
2,944,700 | 9.1 |
| 3 |  Adelaide Airport |
2,197,000 | 2.7 |
| 4 | Gold Coast Airport Gold Coast Airport Gold Coast Airport, or Coolangatta Airport, is an Australian domestic and international airport on the Gold Coast and is located some south of Brisbane and 25 km south of Surfers Paradise. The entrance to the airport is situated in the suburb of Bilinga on the Gold Coast... |
1,714,600 | 6.4 |
| 5 |  Perth AirportPerth Airport Perth Airport is an Australian domestic and international airport serving Perth, the capital and largest city of Western Australia. The airport itself is located in the suburb of Perth Airport.... |
1,702,000 | 2.4 |
| 6 |  Hobart International AirportHobart International Airport Hobart International Airport is an airport located in Cambridge, east of Hobart, Tasmania. The Federal government owned airport is currently being operated on a 99 year lease to the Tasmanian Gateway Consortium. The airport has seen strong passenger growth in the last few years, primarily due to... |
1,212,500 | 0.0 |
| 7 |  Canberra International AirportCanberra International Airport Canberra International Airport , now trading as Canberra Airport, is the airport serving Australia's capital city, Canberra, and the city of Queanbeyan, NSW. Located at the eastern edge of North Canberra, it is the 8th busiest airport in Australia. The airport is the main hub for Brindabella Airlines... |
1,131,200 | 3.2 |
| 8 | Launceston Airport Launceston Airport Launceston Airport is a regional airport on the outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania. The airport is located in the rural area of Western Junction from Launceston city centre... |
832,500 | 0.1 |
| 9 | Cairns Airport |
427,000 | 4.3 |
| 10 | Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport Sunshine Coast Airport is an Australian airport serving Sunshine Coast, Queensland. It is the gateway to holiday destinations such as Noosa, Maroochydore, Mooloolaba and Caloundra... |
393,500 | 6.1 |
Car
Melbourne Airport is 23 kilometres (14.3 mi) from the city centreMelbourne city centre
Melbourne City Centre is an area of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is not to be confused with the larger local government area of the City of Melbourne...
and is accessible via CityLink
CityLink
CityLink is a system of tolled urban Highways in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company Transurban was awarded the contract to augment two existing freeways and construct two new Toll roads—labelled the Western and Southern Links—directly linking a number of existing freeways to...
and the Tullamarine Freeway
Tullamarine Freeway
The Tullamarine Freeway is an urban freeway in Melbourne, Australia, linking Melbourne Airport to the central business district.-History:Tullamarine Freeway is one of the oldest freeways in Melbourne, originally constructed in 1968-1970...
. One freeway offramp runs directly into the airport grounds, and a second to the south serves freight transport, taxis, buses and airport staff. Melbourne Airport has five car parks, all of which operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The short-term, multi-level long-term, business and express carparks are covered, while the long-term parking is not. The main multi-level carpark in front of the terminal was built in the late 1990s, replacing the pre-existing ground-level car parking. It has been progressively expanded ever since.
Public transport
The Skybus Super ShuttleSkybus Super Shuttle
The Skybus Shuttle is an Australian airport bus service that runs between Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine and Southern Cross Station in the city of Melbourne. In 2008, Skybus carried over 1.6 million passengers a year....
service is the main public transport link to the airport, taking approximately 20 minutes to reach Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross Station
Southern Cross is a major railway station and transport hub in Melbourne Docklands, Victoria, Australia. It is located on Spencer Street between Collins and La Trobe Streets at the western edge of the central business district...
in the Melbourne central business district. From Southern Cross, travellers can access V/Line
V/Line
V/Line is a not for profit regional passenger train and coach service in Victoria, Australia. It was created after the split-up of VicRail in 1983. V/Line is owned by the V/Line Corporation which is a Victorian State Government statutory authority...
regional and Metro Trains Melbourne
Metro Trains Melbourne
Metro Trains Melbourne is the current franchise operator of the suburban railway network of Melbourne, Australia. Metro Trains Melbourne is a joint venture led by Hong Kong based MTR Corporation together with John Holland Group and United Group Rail .Metro Trains Melbourne operates a fleet of 381...
suburban trains, Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams
Yarra Trams is the trading name of the Melbourne tram network, which is fully owned and registered by the Victorian State Government. The current franchise is operated by a consortium named KDR Melbourne which consists of a partnership between French company Keolis and Australian company Downer EDI...
and interstate train and bus services.
There are four local bus services to Melbourne Airport. The route 901 SmartBus
SmartBus
SmartBus is a series of bus routes operating in the city of Melbourne, Australia. Undertaken as a part of Metlink, the program seeks to eventually establish a series of key suburban bus routes, and orbital bus routes around Melbourne...
service was introduced in September 2010, and is much more frequent than the other local bus services.
There are nine other bus companies serving the airport, with services to Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong, Frankston
Frankston, Victoria
Frankston is a suburb within the Greater Melbourne metropolitan area in Victoria, Australia. It is located 40 km southeast of the state capital Melbourne at the southernmost edge of Greater Melbourne, near the beginnings of the Mornington Peninsula...
, Mornington Peninsula
Mornington Peninsula
The Mornington Peninsula is a peninsula located south-east of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia. It is surrounded by Port Phillip to the west, Western Port to the east and Bass Strait to the south, and is connected to the mainland in the north. Geographically, the peninsula begins its protrusion...
, Geelong, Melbourne's suburbs, Shepparton and the Riverina
Riverina
The Riverina is an agricultural region of south-western New South Wales , Australia. The Riverina is distinguished from other Australian regions by the combination of flat plains, warm to hot climate and an ample supply of water for irrigation. This combination has allowed the Riverina to develop...
. These provide alternatives to transfer onto V/Line services.
Rail link
The possibility of installing a rail link from what was known as the Broadmeadows (now the Craigieburn Suburban Line) to the airport was debated in the 1960s, but little progress was made.In 2001, the state government
Government of Victoria
The Government of Victoria, under the Constitution of Australia, ceded certain legislative and judicial powers to the Commonwealth, but retained complete independence in all other areas...
investigated the construction of a heavy rail link to the airport under the Linking Victoria
Linking Victoria
The Linking Victoria was a State Government program launched in 1999 to upgrade transport infrastructure in Victoria, Australia. Costing $3.5 billion, it included the road, rail and port networks...
programme. Two options were considered; the first branched off the Craigieburn Suburban Line to the east, and the second branched off the Albion Goods Line, which passes close to the airport's boundary to the south. The second option was preferred. Market research concluded most passengers preferred traveling to the airport by taxi or car, and poor patronage of similar links in Sydney and Brisbane
AirTrain (Brisbane)
Airtrain is the privately owned commuter railway line that extends 13.0 km northeast from Brisbane , the state capital of Queensland, Australia, to the Brisbane Airport at both its separate International and Domestic terminals.The line is carried on an elevated prestressed concrete viaduct...
cast doubt on the viability of the project. This led to the project being deferred until at least 2012. On 21 July 2008, the Premier of Victoria reaffirmed the government's commitment to a rail link and said that it would be considered within three to five years. To maximise future development options, the airport is lobbying for the on-grounds section of the railway to be underground.
In 2010, Martin Pakula
Martin Pakula
Martin Philip Pakula is an Australian politician, and a member of the Victorian Legislative Council. He was Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Public Transport in the Labor Government of Premier John Brumby.-Early life:...
of the Labor Party, newly appointed State Minister for Public Transport announced that the rail link had been taken off the agenda with new freeway options being explored instead, however a change of government at the 2010 Victorian State Election
Victorian state election, 2010
The 2010 Victorian state election was held on 27 November. The incumbent centre-left Australian Labor Party government, led by John Brumby, was defeated by the centre-right Liberal/National Coalition opposition, led by Ted Baillieu....
to Liberals, saw policy for the introduction of the rail link return to the agenda, with a promise by the incoming Coalition government to undertake planning for its construction.
Accidents and incidents
- On 29 May 2003, Qantas Flight 1737Qantas Flight 1737Qantas Flight 1737 was an afternoon Australian domestic flight from Melbourne Airport to Launceston Airport, which was subject to an attempted hijacking on 29 May 2003.-Hijack attempt:Flight 1737 left Melbourne Airport at 2.50pm on 29 May...
from Melbourne to Launceston AirportLaunceston AirportLaunceston Airport is a regional airport on the outskirts of Launceston, Tasmania. The airport is located in the rural area of Western Junction from Launceston city centre...
was hijacked shortly after takeoff. The hijacker, a passenger named David Robinson, intended to fly the aircraft into the Walls of Jerusalem National ParkWalls of Jerusalem National ParkWalls Of Jerusalem is a national park in Tasmania, Australia, 144 km northwest of Hobart. It forms part of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area....
, located in central TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. The flight attendants and passengers successfully subdued and restrained the hijacker, and the aircraft returned to Melbourne.
- On 21 February 2005, a mystery illness caused the evacuation and closure of what was then the South Terminal. The incident began at 7:10 am when a female collapsed in the terminal building. The terminal was closed at 10:10 am because several individuals exhibited symptoms and were hospitalised. In all, 57 individuals were treated by ambulance officers, 47 of whom were hospitalised. All flights landing at the affected terminal were bused to the Patrick FreightPatrick CorporationPatrick Corporation Ltd was an Australian publicly listed logistics conglomerate. Headed by CEO Chris Corrigan before it was absorbed by Toll Holdings in 2006, Patrick had interests in shipping, rail and aviation, including a 62% shareholding in airline Virgin Blue...
facility and unloaded. The South Terminal reopened at 6 pm. The mystery illness was never determined.
- On 20 March 2009, Emirates Airline Flight 407, an Airbus A340-500Airbus A340The Airbus A340 is a long-range four-engine wide-body commercial passenger jet airliner. Developed by Airbus Industrie,A consortium of European aerospace companies, Airbus is now fully owned by EADS and since 2001 has been known as Airbus SAS. a consortium of European aerospace companies, which is...
, was taking off from Melbourne Airport on Runway 16 for a flight to Dubai International AirportDubai International AirportDubai International Airport is an international airport serving Dubai, the largest city of the United Arab Emirates. It is a major aviation hub in the Middle East, and is the main airport of Dubai. It is situated in the Al Garhoud district, southeast of Dubai...
and failed to become airborne in the normal distance. When the aircraft was nearing the end of the runway, the crew commanded nose-up sharply, causing its tail to scrape along the runway as it became airborne, during which smoke was observed in the cabin. The crew dumped fuel and returned to the airport. The damage caused to the aircraft was considered substantial. The aircraft damaged a strobe light at the end of the runway as well as an antenna on the localiser, which led to the ILS being out of service for some time causing some disruptions to the airport's operation.
- On 18 May 2011, an anonymous security threat was made against Melbourne and Avalon airports. The threat was delivered as a letter to the Herald SunHerald SunThe Herald Sun is a morning tabloid newspaper based in Melbourne, Australia. It is published by The Herald and Weekly Times, a subsidiary of News Limited, itself a subsidiary of News Corporation. It is available for purchase throughout Melbourne, Regional Victoria, Tasmania, the Australian Capital...
and other Melbourne media outlets, prompting state and federal police to "swarm the airport".
Avalon Airport
When Jetstar was established in 2004, it decided to operate flights to Adelaide, Brisbane, Perth and Sydney from Avalon rather than Melbourne Airport. This made Melbourne the only city in Australia with two commercially served airports and generated airport competition for the first time in an Australian city. To compete with Avalon, Melbourne established the Budget Terminal and lowered landing fees, which made it the cheapest arrival point in Australia and one of the cheapest international airports in the world. Since then, Jetstar has moved its Perth and Adelaide flights to Melbourne Airport.AirAsia X
AirAsia X
AirAsia X is a long-haul, budget airline based in Malaysia. The airline is operated by AirAsia X Sdn. Bhd. . It commenced operations on 2 November 2007. Its first service flew from Kuala Lumpur International Airport, Malaysia, to Gold Coast Airport in Australia...
was widely expected to launch international flights to Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur International Airport
Kuala Lumpur International Airport , or KLIA serves the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, and is one of Southeast Asia's largest airports. It is also Malaysia's main international airport. It is situated in the Sepang district, in the south of the state of Selangor, about from Kuala Lumpur...
from Avalon in October 2008. However, Linfox's
Linfox
Linfox is a logistics and supply chain company established in Australia by Lindsay Fox in 1956. The company started with one truck operated by Fox. With the acquisition of Armaguard from Mayne Logistics in 2003 and FCL in 2006, it is now the largest privately owned supply chain solutions company in...
proposal to upgrade Avalon's international facilities was rejected on 5 June 2008, which prompted AirAsia X to announce flights from Melbourne Airport on 20 August 2008. Linfox vowed to resolve the Government's concerns and build the terminal, but on 14 November 2008, announced that upgrading Avalon to handle international flights would no longer be viable due to the government's resistance. Then on 10 March 2009, Linfox announced that Avalon would indeed handle international flights within two years and the Government would approve of a $50 million terminal by the end of 2009.
See also
- City of KeilorCity of KeilorThe City of Keilor was a Local Government Area located about northwest of Melbourne, the state capital of Victoria, Australia. The city covered an area of , and existed from 1863 until 1994.-History:...
– the former local government area of which Melbourne Airport was a part - List of airports in Australia
- Transport in AustraliaTransport in Australia-Roads:Australia has the second highest level of car ownership in the world. It has three to four times more road per capita than Europe and seven to nine times more than Asia. Australia also has the third highest per capita rate of fuel consumption in the world. Perth, Adelaide and Brisbane are...
- Avalon AirportAvalon AirportAvalon Airport is the second busiest of the four airports serving Melbourne and is located in Avalon, Victoria, Australia, which is north-east of the city of Geelong and to the south-west of the state's capital city of Melbourne....
- Moorabbin AirportMoorabbin AirportMoorabbin Airport is a general aviation airport for light aircraft located in Mentone, Victoria, Australia. The airport grounds are treated as their own suburb, designated the postcode 3194. The airport opened in December 1949. Originally the intent was to name the airport "Mentone" but this was...
- Essendon AirportEssendon AirportEssendon Airport is located at Essendon, in Melbourne's northern suburbs, Victoria, Australia. It is located next to the Tullamarine Freeway on , from the Melbourne Central Business District and from Melbourne Airport.-History:...