January was the busiest month in Melbourne Airport’s history, with a record 3,393,977 passengers welcomed through the terminals, trumping the previous record of 3,322,940 passengers set in December 2019.
The airport also set a new monthly record international travellers with 1,238,829 people passing through the international terminal, including a record 671,135 arrivals.
The previous record for international travel at Melbourne Airport was set only a month earlier in December 2024, with 1,147,533 passengers, as seat capacity into Australia’s largest 24-hour airport reached an all-time high.
The record number of international passengers was up 14 per cent on January the previous year, while domestic traffic was up five per cent.
January also included the busiest day in more than five years, with 122,751 people travelling through the airport on Friday 24 ahead of the Australia Day long weekend and Australian Open final.
With foreign carriers accounting for 72 per cent of international capacity into Victoria, Melbourne Airport says it has worked closely with the state government and airlines to restore flights and encourage new services.
In the past 12 months, airlines including Turkish Airlines, Vietjet, Cebu Pacific, China Southern and China Airlines have added extra capacity into Melbourne, with US giant Delta Air Lines and Virgin Australia due to launch flights to Los Angeles and Doha respectively in December.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the new records highlight the success of “Team Victoria” in making the state more accessible to foreign tourists while improving connections for local travellers and exporters.
“Since the Australian border reopened in 2021, we’ve been working closely with the Victorian government to rebuilt international airline capacity into Melbourne, and we’re now seeing the benefits,” she said.
“When Melbourne Airport’s arrival halls are busy, Melbourne’s restaurants and cafes are busy, our hotels are busy and Victoria’s tourism industry is busy, which is great for employment and the state economy.
“It’s incredible to think that in just three years we’ve rebuilt international capacity from close to nothing, to the
point where we are setting new records.
“The challenge for us now is to deliver the infrastructure we need to cater for this ongoing growth.
“That’s why we’re building a new baggage system, a new road system and a new runway, as well as working with
the airlines to expand the international terminal to give them the capacity they need to grow.”
