Melbourne Airport's passenger traffic results for third quarter

17-Apr-2014

International passengers at Melbourne Airport increased by 8 per cent during the third quarter of 2013/14 to reach 1,951,000 passengers.

Melbourne Airport CEO, Mr Chris Woodruff said, Asia was the strongest performing region for the quarter.

"Our passenger growth for the third quarter was driven predominantly by our key Asian markets including Singapore, Hong Kong, China and Malaysia. These markets, in particular Singapore, have grown consistently and significantly during the quarter," said Mr Woodruff.

Traditional markets showed solid growth with Canadian passport holders growing by 13.5 per cent and the United States of America by 7.7 per cent. Australian passport holders also grew in the last quarter with a 5.2 per cent increase or an additional 40,940 Australian passport holders travelling compared to the previous quarter.

Domestic passengers increased by one per cent during the quarter, or an additional 61,455 taking domestic passengers to 5,704,303. Total passengers for the quarter reached 7,694,749.

"Our consistent growth is underpinned by the convenience of curfew-free operations and growing international and domestic network. Melbourne Airport is the gateway for Victoria, providing airlines with greater flexibility in scheduling, and also offers our passengers more options to a great range of domestic and international destinations," said Mr Woodruff.

For the month of March 2014, international passengers increased by 2 per cent to reach 604,523 passengers. Domestic passengers declined by 0.6 per cent, resulting in 1,968,025 domestic passengers. Total passenger numbers for March reached 2,572,548, a decline of 0.03 per cent compared to the same period in 2013.

Mr Woodruff said, "We have seen a decline in domestic numbers for March, reflecting the later timing of public school holidays and the Easter holiday period this year."

"Construction works to prepare for the new domestic terminal and the integrated ground transportation hub are underway, resulting in significant changes in and around terminal 4. Passengers are advised to plan before they fly during the peak period."

"Earlier this week, we welcomed the Victorian Government's commitment to an airport rail link in this year's state budget. This decision is critical to support our future growth as we continue to expand and upgrade our infrastructure with passenger numbers expected to grow to 60 million by 2033."