Hannah Hammoud
Melbourne Airport has welcomed a return of almost 88 per cent of pre-Covid level passenger numbers for the month of March.
This March set a new post-pandemic monthly record of 2,711,528 people passing through the terminals.
The number of international travellers continues to climb, with 721,496 passengers representing 80 per cent of the 895,162 figure recorded in March 2019.
These figures were helped by an increase in international capacity, with March marking a boost in airline services to Manila, Tokyo, Dubai and mainland China.
Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said the ongoing restoration of capacity would help put downward pressure on fares.
“Cost of living pressures are a real issue for many Australian families at the moment and every extra seat and service is important to help push ticket prices down and keep Australians connected,” he said.
“The Easter long weekend has shown that people still have a real desire to travel, and we expect fares will continue to moderate as more capacity is added to the market.
“We have been working closely with the airlines and their ground handlers to improve their operational resilience and reliability, and overall we’ve been pleased with how they have performed so far these holidays.”
