This week, Australian airport, Melbourne (MEL), has hit a record February for international passengers handled.
This article will cover the details surrounding Melbourne Airport’s record international passenger count during February and their year-to-date.
Melbourne’s Record Intl February
During the month of February 2024, Melbourne Airport (MEL) handled a total of 2,859,942 passengers.
From this number, 915,456 of which were solely international passengers. The represents the airports highest international passenger count for February on record, beating the previous which was back in 2019.
The increase seen this year represents 102% of what the airport saw back in 2019, prior to the pandemic.
The entire month of February’s two million passengers, was just a mere 7,301 short of the record that was set in 2019.
Compared to 2022’s February figures, the international passenger figures are up 39% and domestic passenger figures are up 18%.
Helping with the high passenger numbers, was not just the extra day from this leap year, but also the Taylor Swift, Pink, and Blink 182 concerts.
In terms of domestic passengers for February, Melbourne’s figure stood at 1,944,486. Primarily handled by Bonza, Jetstar, Link Airways, Qantas, QantasLink, Rex Airlines, and Virgin Australia.
Senior Comments
Commenting on their record month, the airport’s Chief Executive Officer, Lorie Argus, says, ““We’ve already started work to upgrade our international facilities, including a $500 million investment in a new state-of-the art baggage system and a refresh of the arrivals hall.”
“We know our international arrivals area can be busy during peak times, so we’re working with the Australian Border Force to streamline the experience as much as possible.”
“We have also submitted plans for a parallel north-south runway, which will ensure we have sufficient capacity to accommodate international airlines and put competitive pressure on airfares.”
“In recent months we’ve welcomed new services from Turkish Airlines, Asiana Airlines, Vietjet, Air Calin and Jetstar which mean more options for travellers and Victorian exporters, but our infrastructure needs to keep pace with demand.”
Current Year-to-Date
So far, for the 2023/2024 financial year (FY), Melbourne’s total passengers handled figures now stand at 23,713,240. This is broken down as 7,476,673 international passengers, and 16,234,976 domestic passengers.
Compared to 2022/2023 the international passenger figures are up 43% and domestic passenger figures are up 9%.
Overall
Its certainly evident from these figures that Melbourne Airport is off to a really strong year.
Looking at the rate the airport is heading, 2024 could be a strong contender for yet more records to be broken for the Australian airport.
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