Melbourne Airport recorded its highest passenger traffic figures in three years with 2,706,962 passenger footfalls in January 2023. The recovery was more than double as compared to January 2022 and peaked since January 2020.
The airport recorded a new post-pandemic high of 818,572 international passengers with 442,072 arrivals compared to just 376,500 departures- a difference of more than 65,000 people.
Melbourne Airport welcomed back Beijing Capital Airlines which became the sixth mainland Chinese carrier to resume service to Victoria since the country eased restrictions last month. Flights from Qingdao will operate twice a week in February before increasing to three times a week from March.
Lorie Argus, chief executive officer, Melbourne Airport, said: “The extra Chinese connections would help support Victoria’s valuable education and agricultural export industries. These flights are incredibly important, not just because of the link they provide for Victorians with family in China, but for the direct market access they provide to our cargo exporters.”
“Most international flights into Melbourne have been arriving close to full, which suggests international students are returning alongside tourists and family visitors,” added Argus. “We've worked hard with the Victorian Government to return this capacity to Melbourne and by the end of March we expect to be back to around 80% of our pre-pandemic seat numbers.”