Passengers down 7.1% at Melbourne International Airport

Domestic passenger figures at Victoria’s capital airport are also down, citing a 1.4 per cent decrease between 2025 and 2026.

“Even with the current global uncertainty, we know we need to invest in the future and build for the long term,” said Melbourne Airport chief executive, Lorie Argus.

“Flights from the Middle East are progressively returning and schedules are stabilising, with Emirates now flying twice a day between Melbourne and Dubai and Qatar Airways operating double daily flights to Doha from June.

“While this is down on what was being flown before the Middle East conflict began, it represents a welcome return of stability to operations through some of our most important global hubs.”

The airport is planning to work with the federal government to improve processing facilities to improve the efficiency and operations for when international travel returns to regular transit levels.

This is already a trend, with the 2026 figures pointing to a slow international passenger rise, currently at a 3.7 per cent overall increase compared to 2024–25.

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The $10 increase to the federal government’s Passenger Movement Charge announced in last Tuesday’s budget is something Argus says can be reinvested to improve the passenger experience and overall functionality of Melbourne Airport.

“We’re investing $7.5 billion dollars of private money to deliver a third runway and expand Melbourne’s international terminal to cater for growing demand and improve the experience for passengers,” Argus said.

“As we modernise our airport, we will continue partnering with the Federal Government to modernise the border and invest in technology that can deliver a faster, more seamless arrival experience for international travellers.”

“Our international passenger numbers have doubled in the past 10 years but our Border Force kiosk numbers have remained the same, and the international arrivals experience has become one of our biggest passenger pain points.”