Key points
- Almost 970,000 international travellers fly during October up 8.4% on October 17.
- Financial-year-to-date passenger volumes surpass 12 million people.
Melbourne Airport experienced a busy month of travel with more than 3.3 million passengers flying through the airport in October, equating to a growth of 2.9 per cent compared to figures in October 2017.
International air travel continued to rise significantly with almost 970,000 people traveling overseas, a growth of 8.4 per cent compared to October 2017.
The airport’s domestic market remained strong with more than 2.3 million passengers flying both ways.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi said the airport’s latest passenger data demonstrates the high demand in tourism and attractiveness in Melbourne as a destination.
“People are travelling in and out of Melbourne in record numbers and for the fourth consecutive month overall passenger volumes surpassed three million people, highlighting the interest in our beautiful city and desire to travel overseas,” said Mr Strambi.
“Melbourne is Australia’s fastest growing major city and recent data released by Tourism Research Australia revealed that international visitor expenditure and visitor numbers in Victoria at year end June 18 were both ahead of the national average, which is fantastic news.
“With our international growth up by 8.4 per cent year-on-year you can only image the volumes of people that will fly in the next five to 10 years, which is why a third runway is vital to meet growth demands and to generate economic benefits to Victoria.”
Victoria Tourism Industry Council Chief Executive, Felicia Mariani commended Melbourne Airport on its role in Victoria’s tourism industry.
“Melbourne Airport’s strong passenger growth for both international and domestic is testament to the fact that Victoria’s visitor economy is primed for even greater success. Our collective efforts in positioning Melbourne as a gateway destination are working and that is important recognition for our industry.”
“With the completion of major projects such as the development of the Third Runway and a suite of customer-centric transport solutions, our strong arrival numbers will deliver even greater economic impact for our state, and visitors will enjoy a world-class arrival experience.”
Passenger figures for October 2018:
| Passengers | October 2018 | October 2017 | Growth (%)* |
| International | 969,795 | 894,447 | 8.4% |
| Domestic | 2,331,986 | 2,315,639 | 0.7% |
| Total (ex transits) | 3,301,781 | 3,210,086 | 2.9% |
| Passengers | |
| International | 969,795 |
| Domestic | 2,331,986 |
| Total (ex transits) | 3,301,781 |
*Monthly percentage growth compared to October 2017
Passenger figures for FY to October 2018
| Passengers | October 2018 | October 2017 | Growth (%)* |
| International | 3,868,364 | 3,550,020 | 9.0% |
| Domestic | 8,930,743 | 8,795,119 | 1.5% |
| Total (ex transits) | 12,799,107 | 12,345,139 | 3.7% |
| Passengers | |
| International | 3,868,364 |
| Domestic | 8,930,743 |
| Total (ex transits) | 12,799,107 |
*Note figures are rounded