MEL recovery continues

PASSENGER traffic through Melbourne Airport continued to recover last month, with a total of 367,681 international passengers.

That brought international operations to about 43% of pre-pandemic levels in May 2019 and was a 13% increase on international traffic in Apr.

However, overall traffic numbers actually declined 7% month-onmonth after bumper visitation in Apr due to the Grand Prix and the school and Easter holiday period.

MEL’s total May passenger numbers were 73% of the figure in May 2019, with CEO Lyell Strambi saying the international growth was really positive.

“This demand is giving confidence to airlines to increase capacity,” he noted, with EK increasing to double daily A380 services alongside expansion of Jetstar flights to Bali and the QF resumption of Melbourne flights to Christchurch and Wellington.

Later this year Melbourne will also host the 151st IATA Slot Conference, with Strambi saying “this will be an opportunity for us to put Melbourne on the global aviation stage and restore international connectivity to our great state.”

For the 11 months to 31 May, total international traffic through MEL is already more than six times the figure for 2020/21, while more than 9 million domestic passengers have passed through the airport, a 62% improvement on the previous financial year.