December was Melbourne Airport’s busiest month since the onset of Covid-19, with a total of 3,086,049 passengers flying through Victoria’s main gateway.

Melbourne Airport set a new all-time monthly record of 4,976 international flights, surpassing the previous record of 4,834 flights set in January 2020.

It also marked the first time since January 2020 that international traveller numbers topped one million. The figures reflect a significant month for Melbourne Airport, with Aircalin resuming service to Noumea, Air

India launching flights to Mumbai, Jetstar launching flights to Fiji and Asiana beginning seasonal service to Seoul.

Domestic traffic was up 10% on the same month in 2022, with 2,048,911 travellers passing through Terminals 1, 3 and 4.

A total of 14,832 domestic flights were operated in and out of Melbourne in December, representing 95% of the services flown in 2019.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the extra international capacity had allowed thousands of people to connect with friends and loved ones over the Christmas and New Year period.

“International traveller numbers were up 35% on the same month last year, which reflects the work we have done to bring new services and extra capacity to Melbourne,” she said.

“Despite the current cost-of-living pressures, many families are prioritising travel and any extra capacity we can bring to the market increases competition and choice for travellers.

“These flights also provide local exporters with increased opportunities to send goods into foreign markets, with an average daily international flight worth $154 million to the Victorian economy.

“In 2024 we look forward to bringing more seat capacity to Victoria and opening up new markets to our state.”

Passenger figures for December 2023:

*Monthly percentage growth compared to December 2022

Passenger figures for Financial Year to date

*percentage growth compared to FY 2022/23