The days of crowding around the baggage carousel will soon be over, with an $81 million investment to almost double the size of the Virgin Australia arrivals hall at Melbourne Airport.

The upgrade includes construction of a new baggage carousel and oversized baggage collection point as well as refurbishment and lengthening of the existing three carousels.

New central arrival escalators and anti-pass back gates will be installed as part of the expansion, that will create a ground floor connection for passengers moving between Terminals 3 and 4.

When completed in 2025, the upgrade will give Virgin Australia passengers 85% more baggage carousel space from which to collect their bags and enable faster baggage delivery so passengers can move through the terminal and onto their end destination more quickly.

Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation, Jim Parashos, said the works would provide passengers with a more spacious and comfortable arrivals experience.

“Jostling for a spot to grab your bag off the belt can be frustrating, so these upgrades will provide passengers with almost twice the space to spread out and collect their bags,” he said.

“This project will reshape Terminal 3 and increase our baggage capacity while also creating a ground floor connection to Terminal 4.

“Virgin Australia is now the biggest domestic carrier at Melbourne Airport with millions of passengers passing through Terminal 3 every year so it’s important we build now to cater for future growth.”

Virgin Australia Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Paul Jones, said the investment in upgrading baggage capacity reflected growing passenger numbers at Melbourne Airport.

“Virgin Australia’s domestic capacity at Melbourne Airport is higher than it was last year and pre-COVID,” he said.

“We want our guests to have a wonderful experience when they fly with us, so we are investing in the areas that matter most, from the ground to the air.

“That also includes launching Australia’s first-ever airline baggage tracking tool, rolling out Rapid Rebook technology to improve the experience in the event of disruption, investing in new latest-generation aircraft, and embarking on a $110 million cabin refurbishment of our existing 737 fleet.”