Melbourne Airport handled almost 37 million passengers during the 2026 financial year, recording its busiest 12-month period for international travel since the airport opened in 1970. International passenger traffic crossed the 12 million mark for the first time, with 12,256,328 travellers passing through the airport on 57,002 international flights.
The airport also recorded its busiest month on record in December 2025, when 3.42 million passengers travelled through its four terminals.
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Among overseas visitors, China remained the largest source market with 636,245 arrivals, up 8% from the previous year. New Zealand ranked second with 517,943 arrivals, up 1.3%.
India was the third-largest source of international arrivals, with 323,308 passengers, although arrivals from India declined 4.9% compared with the previous financial year. The United Kingdom ranked fourth with 201,261 arrivals, up 9.4%, followed by the United States with 142,339 arrivals, up 7.9%.
Passenger traffic in June 2026 softened slightly. International passenger numbers fell 2.5% year-on-year to 911,189, while domestic traffic was largely unchanged at 1.86 million passengers. Total passenger traffic for the month declined 0.9% to 2.72 million.
Melbourne Airport said seat capacity on routes to key Middle East hubs including Dubai, Doha and Abu Dhabi was still recovering and had not yet returned to pre-conflict levels, contributing to the softer June performance.
Melbourne Airport Chief Executive Lorie Argus said rising passenger volumes reinforced the need for investment in airport infrastructure and border processing.
"We've committed to a $4.5 billion expansion of our international terminal, a new third runway and an enhanced road network to cater for Melbourne's growth," she said.
Argus said passengers would begin seeing some of these changes from October, when new free pick-up and drop-off zones for Qantas, Virgin Australia and international travellers open at the T123 Transport Hub.
She also said the airport was working with the Australian Federal Government to introduce a new digital international arrivals process to improve passenger experience.
