Despite global inflationary pressures, 4976 international flights to and from the Victorian capital were recorded in the last month of 2023 – for a total of 3,086,049 passengers – breaking the pre-COVID-19 pandemic high mark of 4832 flights in January 2020.

In November 2023, Melbourne became the first Australian airport to exceed its pre-pandemic capacity for international flights, aided by the launch of direct flights to Mumbai from Air India, to Fiji from Jetstar, and to Seoul, South Korea, from Asiana.

“International traveller numbers were up 35 per cent on the same month last year, which reflects the work we have done to bring new services and extra capacity to Melbourne,” says Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus.

“Despite 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.”

Despite 2,048,911 domestic passengers passing through Melbourne Airport from 14,832 flights in December 2023 – up 10 per cent on December 2022 – this figure is still five per cent down from the same period in 2019.