Dubbed the “most significant transformation of the departure hall since the 1970s”, the project will see the installation of common-use self-service kiosks and automated bag drops to replace around 60 existing check-in desks by the end of the decade.
The regional carrier will fly three times a week between the nation’s capital and Avalon, which serves Melbourne as a secondary airport as well as Geelong and the Bellarine Peninsula. Flights will operate on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays using British Aerospace Jetstream 32 aircraft.
Run in conjunction with not-for-profit Travellers Aid, the Melbourne Airport Assist service will provide buggies and powered wheelchairs to help travellers with disabilities navigate the airport, and will run seven days a week between 6am and 10pm starting next month.
The airport has opened a new “nothing to declare” express lane with detector dog screening, as well as new and expanded “back-of-stage” areas. Travellers with items to declare must still go through existing customs lanes.
In the June meeting minutes, obtained by The Australian under freedom of information laws, Department of Home Affairs assistant secretary (aviation security) Matthew Pedler told airport operators that the alleged incident was the worst since a disrupted Sydney bomb threat in July 2017.
Community consultation is underway for the runway’s noise amelioration project, and initial construction work is also about to begin. It comes after the Federal Government last year approved the long-awaited proposal.