Melbourne Airport welcomed almost 39,000 travellers during October, a decrease of 98.8 per cent compared to the same time last year.
Border closures continued to limit flying however with Victoria overcoming its second wave of COVID, New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian slated a reopening of the NSW-VIC border for 23 November.
Following suit, Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein and South Australian Premier Steven Marshall also announced reopening dates for 27 November and 1 December respectively. The Australian Capital Territory will also relax its hard border on the same date as New South Wales.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi said he was optimistic about a domestic re-start.
“It’s really positive that states are starting to reopen to Victoria, giving people the opportunity to reconnect with their loved ones well before Christmas,” said Mr Strambi.
“We know people are itching to travel and it’s terrific to see airlines add capacity as soon as border restrictions are eased, which also supports thousands of aviation related jobs.
“Things are finally moving in the right direction and with Australian case numbers as low as they are border restrictions are no longer necessary.
“The reality is we will be living with COVID-19 until a vaccine is developed, there will always be cases that arise but we need to learn to live with outbreaks while staying open safely.”
Passenger figures for October 2020:
| Passengers | October 2020 | October 2019 | Growth (%)* |
| International | 10,763 | 942,747 | -98.9% |
| Domestic | 28,059 | 2,362,710 | -98.8% |
| Total (ex transits) | 38,822 | 3,305,457 | -98.8% |
*Monthly percentage growth compared to October 2019
Passenger figures for Financial Year to October 2020/21
| Passengers | Financial Year 2020/21 (‘000) | Financial Year 2019/20 (‘000) | Growth (%)* |
| International | 54,938 | 3,821,795 | -98.6% |
| Domestic | 135,830 | 8,986,014 | -98.5% |
| Total (ex transits) | 190,768 | 12,807,809 | -98.5% |
*percentage growth compared to FY 2019/20