Melbourne Airport is preparing for its busiest day since the onset of Covid-19 as the September school holidays and footy finals headline a big couple of weeks.
More than 110,000 people are expected through the airport this Friday, followed by an average of 100,000 people a day over the following two-week holiday period.
Last month a total of 2,818,867 passengers passed through the terminals, up 22% on August the year before.
The number of take-offs and landings at Melbourne Airport hit a post-pandemic high, with a total of 20,270 movements recorded through the month of August.
The coming weeks will also see the return of Chinese group travel for the first time since the pandemic with China celebrating the 8-day national “Golden Week” holiday from 29 September to 6 October.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said demand for travel remains strong despite cost-of- living pressures.
“We are hosting a Grand Final crowd here every day for the next two weeks, so the terminals and car parks will be busy” he said.
“Nothing beats spending time with family and friends or barracking for your team at the big games, so we know that travel is something people are prioritising despite cost-of-living pressures.
“We are working hard to bring competition into the market where we can to make travel as accessible and affordable for Victorians as possible.
“During these busy times we encourage our passengers to plan ahead by booking parking online and allowing extra time for check-in and departure formalities.
“We would urge travellers to book parking ahead of time, bring their QR parking pass to scan on entry and exit and to allow some extra time to find a bay.
“As always we ask for patience from our passengers, there can be lines at busy times but we have extra staff on to ensure you get to where you need to as smoothly as possible.
Passenger figures for August 2023:
| Passengers | August 2023 | August 2022 | Growth (%)* |
| International | 849,710 | 546,774 | +55% |
| Domestic | 1,969,157 | 1,768,436 | +11% |
| Total (ex transits) | 2,818,867 | 2,315,210 | +22% |
| Passengers | |
| International | 849,710 |
| Domestic | 1,969,157 |
| Total (ex transits) | 2,818,867 |
*Monthly percentage growth compared to August 2022
Passenger figures for Financial Year to date
| Passengers | Financial Year 2023/24 | Financial Year 2022/23 | Growth (%)* |
| International | 1,768,404 | 1,128,846 | +57% |
| Domestic | 3,976,854 | 3,703,200 | +7% |
| Total (ex transits) | 5,745,258 | 4,832,046 | +19% |
| Passengers | |
| International | 1,768,404 |
| Domestic | 3,976,854 |
| Total (ex transits) | 5,745,258 |
*percentage growth compared to FY 2022/23