Above table brightens your arrival experience with all of the important details, including flight information and arrivals at this airport.

Top Marks for Melbourne Airport

Melbourne airport acknowledges the wurundjeri woi-wurrung people as the land’s traditional owners, and this regard is extended to all indigenous Australians. The MEL also known as tullamarine airport, is the main international airport serving the city, the capital of the Australian state of victoria. It is Australia’s second busiest airport and operates 24/7. MEL serves as the primary arrival and departure point for four of Australia’s seven metropolitan cities and airports.

This is a significant hub for qantas and virgin Australia, while jetstar uses the airport as its home base. Domestically, it is the headquarters for team global express and handles more domestic freight than any other airport in the country. This airport has won numerous honors! Here are two recent examples:

  • Routes Awards (2024): MEL won the “over 20 million passengers” category at the routes awards. This award celebrates the airport’s remarkable restoration and expansion in passenger numbers, which surpassed pre pandemic international seat capacity.
  • Skytrax World Airport Awards (2021, 2020): Skytrax, dubbed the “oscars of the airport industry,” has selected this airport as the best airport in the pacific region for 2 years running.

Terminals Guide

This airport has 68 gates, serving both 53 domestic and 15 international travel needs. A specialized freighter apron provides five parking slots for cargo planes. The current terminal numbering scheme, implemented in July 2005, superseded the previous system with directional names such as qantas domestic, international, and south.

Terminal 1

Terminal 1 serves 53 domestic and 15 regional flights for qantas group airlines, including qantas and qantasLink. The departures take place on the first floor, and the arrivals are on the ground floor. Today, several stores and dining options are available at the end of the terminal, and qantas also has a qantas club, business class, and a chairman’s lounge within the terminal.

Terminal 2

Terminal 2 at the airport was opened in 1970 and covers all foreign and some local flights. It has 20 boarding gates and has undergone substantial refurbishment since 2007. The addition comprised additional lounges, shops, a satellite terminal with a spectacular runway view, and upgraded customs and security offices. The satellite terminal connects directly to Terminal 2, with departures on the lower level and arrivals on the top level.

Terminal 3

Terminal 3 was launched with the airport as the ansett Australia terminal, although it is now home to virgin Australia. It contains eleven parking spots with single aerobridges and eight without aerobridges. Arrival and departure occur on the lower floor, with a reasonable and straightforward process.

Terminal 4

Terminal 4 was originally developed for cheap airlines and is Australia’s first domestic express terminal. Initially created for virgin blue and impulse airlines (with virgin blue later transferring to terminal 3), its simplified features result in lower expenses. While lacking jet bridges and multiple services, it is conveniently located near the main terminal. Check in, baggage claim, and bag drop are located on the ground floor, while shops, cuisine, and lounges are on the first floor, leading to the departure and arrival gates.

Melbourne Airport: Guiding Skies Across Australia

The airport is more than just a place to take off and land. Melbourne Centre, a vital air traffic control facility, is based at MEL. This center manages aircraft separation in Australia’s busiest flight information area (FIR). The FIR encompasses a vast area, including victoria, tasmania, southern new south wales, the majority of south Australia, the southern half of western Australia, and airspace above the indian and southern oceans. This amounts to the melbourne centre commanding a whopping 6% of global airspace! The airport also includes approach facilities for canberra, adelaide, and melbourne, which ensures that these cities’ arrivals and departures run smoothly.

Runways

This airport features two intersecting runways. Due to increased traffic, numerous runway expansions are proposed, including an 843 m (2,766 ft) extension of the north south runway to stretch it to 4,500 m (14,764 ft) and a 1,214 m (3,983 ft) extension of the east west runway to a total of 3,500 m (11,483 ft). Two new runways are also planned: a 3,000 m (9,843 ft) runway parallel to the existing north south runway and a 3,000 m (9,843 ft) runway south of the current east west runway. MEL Corporation believes that the new north-south runway will be operational by 2025, with the possibility of extending the existing east west runway.

Arrival facilities and amenities

MEL also simplifies arrivals by designating locations for customs and immigration (international arrivals only), luggage claims, and biosecurity screening. Passengers are met with excellent signage for luggage carousels and can get help with everything from navigating the airport to local information at information counters. Designated waiting areas outside customs make it easy to reunite with loved ones. Also find out the list of all departures from there.