Melbourne Airport is expecting to welcome more than 1.7 million passengers across the Easter holiday period, representing a nine per cent increase on the same period last year.

International traveller numbers are forecast to be 21 per cent higher than the corresponding holiday period last year, whilst domestic traveller numbers are expected to increase by four per cent.

During the seventeen-day period from March 29 to April 14, the airport is expecting to average an MCG Grand Final crowd of more than 100,000 passengers each day, with the busiest day forecast to be April 12.

Flights to North America are among those operating with high holiday load factors, with seat capacity to Canada and the mainland USA still down 33 per cent on 2019.

Melbourne Airport Chief of Ground Transport, Property and Retail Jai McDermott said the airport was ready for the Easter rush but urged passengers to plan ahead.

“To make way for construction of Naarm Way Stage 2 we’ve removed 500 spaces from the Value Car Park, so we recommend that passengers check availability online and book in advance,” he said.

“This coming weekend is looking particularly busy, with the Value Car Park sold out online and limited spaces in our Terminal car parks, so we’d advise travellers to allow extra time to find a space.

When complete in 2026, Naarm Way Stage 2 will deliver new dedicated drop off and pick up zones for passengers using Terminals 1, 2 and 3, while also reducing congestion in the increasingly busy forecourt.

“During these peak holiday periods we have the capability to flex up our operations to meet demand, so we’ll have more security, more cleaners and more customer service staff on hand to help get holidays off to a good start.

“We know peak travel periods can be a stressful time for some passengers, but we ask people to be patient and respectful as the team works to get you where you need to be as quickly and safely as possible.”