International traveller numbers at Melbourne Airport climbed to their highest level in almost three years as Victorians took advantage of restriction-free travel.
The 766,439 international travellers processed at Melbourne Airport in December 2022 is almost 120,000 more than the preceding month and represents 71 per cent of the number recorded in December 2019.
A total of 2,635,925 passengers passed through Melbourne Airport in December, which is 79 per cent of the 3,332,940 passengers processed in December 2019.
It’s the highest monthly total since the onset of the COVID pandemic, but the 1,869,468 domestic traveller number was down on the preceding three months, reflecting higher airfares, capacity constraints and changing consumer behaviour.
Melbourne Airport chief executive officer Lorie Argus said airport providers continue to hire staff to cater for the increasing number of travellers and cargo.
“Demand for international flights keeps growing and last month we saw incredibly high load factors on flights departing Melbourne,” she said.
“We’re expecting further capacity increases in the coming months as Chinese carriers resume flights to Melbourne, VietJet launches direct services to Ho Chi Minh City and Qantas returns to Hong Kong.
“These flights are huge employment generators both at Melbourne Airport and in the wider Victorian economy.
“Since the international boarder re-opened, more than 4,000 people have been hired at Melbourne Airport and there are still close to 2,000 jobs that need filling across airline, ground handling and retail operations.
“Aviation is an exciting and challenging industry to work in and there’s no better time to join the team.”
Check out the passenger figures below:
Featured Image: (iStock/DLMcK)
