Preparations are underway at Melbourne Airport to accommodate more than 1.7 million people over the next two weeks as school holidays and the AFL Grand Final kick off.

1,785,385 million people are expected to make their way to Melbourne Airport over the next two weeks as school holidays get underway.

Melbourne Airport will be busier on Grand Final Friday than the MCG on Grand Final Day, with more than 114,000 passengers expected through the terminals on September 27.

Melbourne Airport is currently upgrading its terminal road network to deliver a quicker, traffic light free journey to the terminals and new dedicated passenger pick-up and drop-off zones.

Due to the construction, Melbourne Airport is recommending passengers allow an extra 30 minutes to their travel time these school holidays.

To ease congestion and accommodate the works Centre Road will be closed inbound to travellers from Sunbury Road at the following times (timings may change subject to traffic conditions):

• Monday: 7am- 10am

• Thursday, Friday and Sunday: 6pm – 9pm

Melbourne Airport Chief of Ground Transport, Property and Retail Jai McDermott said the airport was attempting to minimise disruption but warned some traffic congestion was likely during peak times.

“We have scaled back works on our road upgrades throughout the school holiday to accommodate the influx of passengers, but we know there will still be some impact to travellers,” he said.

“Our tip for passengers travelling to and from the airport over the next two weeks is to use the Terminal 4 Car Park and drop off and pick up zone where possible to avoid congestion.

“We apologise for the inconvenience, but with growing passenger numbers it’s essential we upgrade our road network to reduce future delays.

“To minimise stress, book your parking in advance online to lock in the cheapest rate, and allow an extra 30 minutes for your journey to the airport.

“Throughout these peak times we flex up our operations which means more security staff, cleaners and customer service staff to ensure your holidays get off to a great start.