What the Melbourne Airport Pick Up and Drop Off Changes Mean

Overview

Come 6 October, Pick Up and Drop Off at Melbourne Airport won’t work the way it does today. We’re saying goodbye to Drop Off at the Departures Drive ramp so we can expand the International Terminal. The current forecourt out the front of the terminals also becomes commercial vehicle-only. If you’re driving in to pick up or drop off a mate, you’ll head to the T123 Transport Hub instead, the next stage of our Naarm Way project.

Dropping off or picking up someone flying from Terminal 1, Terminal 2 or Terminal 3? The new Pick Up and Drop Off zones inside the T123 Transport Hub will be built specifically for that trip. If you're heading to Terminal 4 or the free Wait Zone, or you’re parking to fly out yourself, none of this changes for you.

Melbourne Airport Pick Up and Drop Off Changes at a Glance

However you’re getting to Melbourne Airport, here’s exactly what’s moving and what’s staying put.

What	Now	Changing?	From 6 October 2026
Freeway access to Drop off and Pick Up	Via Terminal Drive and Departure Drive	Yes	Exit 19 Naarm Way, direct from the Tullamarine Freeway for both Drop Off and Pick Up
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 Pick Up	Airport forecourt	Yes	Rear of Level 2 of the T123 Transport Hub for Pick Up
Terminals 1, 2 and 3 Drop Off	Departure Drive ramp	Yes	Level 3 of the T123 Transport Hub For Drop Off
Terminal 4 Pick Up	T4 Pick Up, T4 Transport Hub	No	Level 1 of the T4 Transport Hub
Terminal 4 Drop Off	T4 Drop Off, T4 Transport Hub	No	Level 2 of the T4 Transport Hub
Skybus Pick Up and Drop Off	Airport forecourt	No	Airport forecourt, commercial vehicles only
Taxi and rideshare Drop Off	Departures Drive ramp	Yes	Level 3 of the T123 Transport Hub
Taxi and rideshare Pick Up	Airport forecourt	No	Airport forecourt

Running early to collect someone? If your passenger isn’t ready yet, you don’t have to keep driving loops while you wait. The free Wait Zone on Mercer Drive is set up for that, with the first 60 minutes of parking free of charge.

What’s changing with Pick Up and Drop Off at Melbourne Airport?

From 6 October, Pick Up and Drop Off for Terminal 1, Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 passengers both move into the T123 Transport Hub. You’ll drop off on Level 3 and pick up at the rear of Level 2. This is a change from how it works today, where Drop Off is at the Departure Drive ramp and Pick Up is at the terminal forecourt.

Here’s what that actually looks like for you:

Your drive in changes. Forget Terminal Drive. Take the new Exit 19 Naarm Way straight off the Tullamarine Freeway. It’s a dedicated route that drops you directly into the T123 Transport Hub instead of merging back through the freeway’s existing road network the way drivers do now.
Dropping someone off means Level 3. Whether they’re heading to a Qantas flight out of Terminal 1, an international flight from Terminal 2 or Virgin Australia from Terminal 3, you’ll pull into T123 Drop Off on Level 3. Say your goodbyes, they hop out, and you’re straight back out via the ramps onto the freeway, no doubling back to leave.
Picking someone up means the rear of Level 2. Head to T123 Pick Up on Level 2 instead of scanning the forecourt for a familiar face. More room to wait means less circling the block hoping they’ve come out yet.
Dropping off at Terminal 2 means a covered walk in. After you drop someone on Level 3 for an international flight, a 19-metre-wide pedestrian bridge takes them from the T123 Transport Hub straight into Terminal 2, so they walk a covered route in.

Will Terminal 4 Pick Up and Drop Off change?

No. Terminal 4 has its own Pick Up and Drop Off at the T4 Transport Hub and will operate in the same way it does today. If you’re dropping off or collecting someone flying Jetstar, Rex or Link Airways, you’ll get there off the Tullamarine Freeway via Exit 19 Naarm Way.

Is help available for those with accessibility needs?

Yes. Melbourne Airport Assist, run in partnership with Travellers Aid, can help with the walk between the terminals and the Pick Up and Drop Off zones at both the T123 Transport Hub and the T4 Transport Hub. The service runs seven days a week from 6 AM to 10 PM now but will move to 22 hours a day (from 3am to 1am) once the T123 Transport Hub opens.

Wheelchair assistance is available at both hubs, and buggy transfers are available specifically at the T4 Transport Hub. To arrange help, you can:

Book it ahead of time. Give the team at least 24 hours’ notice through the online booking form, and someone will be ready when you arrive.
Call on the day. Phone the Melbourne Airport Assist team on 0492 868 960 during operating hours.
Ask at a mobility hub. There are mobility hubs across the airport where you can ask for help in person, no booking required.

Flying or landing outside operating hours? After-hours assistance is available if booked at least 24 hours ahead.

Plan your drive in before you drive out

Driving in to pick up or drop off someone flying from Terminal 1, Terminal 2 or Terminal 3? By 6 October 2026, you’ll head to the T123 Transport Hub via the new Naarm Way exit off the Tullamarine Freeway, not the old route through Terminal Drive. Picking up or dropping off at Terminal 4? Your route stays exactly as it is.