International travel has never been stronger at Melbourne Airport, with the airport recording its busiest financial year ever for international passengers.
In the 2024-2025 financial year, Melbourne Airport welcomed 11,953,262 international passengers, a jump of more than 900,000 passengers, which represents an 8.3 per cent increase on the previous financial year.
A total of 36,151,615 passengers came through Melbourne Airport last financial year including 24,198,353 domestic passengers, representing a 0.4 per cent increase on the 2023-2024 financial year domestic numbers.
Melbourne Airport said international passenger numbers are set to be further strengthened with the arrival the airport’s 39th international carrier, Hong Kong Airlines.
The new service, enabled by the recent expansion of bilateral air traffic rights between Hong Kong and Australia, will operate three times per week between Melbourne and Hong Kong on an Airbus A330, adding more than 93,000 seats to one of Melbourne Airport’s top five international destinations.
Hong Kong Airlines is a full-service carrier based in Hong Kong, offering easy onward connections to more than 30 destinations across Asia and North America from the airline’s strategic hub at Hong Kong International Airport.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the arrival of Hong Kong Airlines will provide more choice and greater capacity into one of Asia’s biggest international hubs.
“The growth in our international market shows the importance of competition and choice, which is why we are so excited to welcome Hong Kong Airlines to the mix today,” she said.
“Hong Kong is one of the largest international markets for us at Melbourne Airport so I expect there will be strong demand for the service.
“Since the pandemic we are seeing people prioritising travel and connections as essential parts of their family budgets and today’s financial year numbers reflect that.
“It’s imperative that as our passenger numbers grow our airport grows in tandem, which is why we’re building a new express road network from the Tullamarine Freeway into our new home for drop offs and pick ups in the T123 car park, enabling the expansion of our international terminal to cater for the future growth that our third runway will deliver.”
Hong Kong Airlines president Jeff Sun said this has been a year of significant progress for its Australian market strategy.
“Following the resumption of our Gold Coast service in January and the launch of our Sydney route in June, we are delighted to add Melbourne as another key destination within just six months,” he said.
“This establishes Hong Kong Airlines as the second local carrier to offer direct flights to Australia’s major cities and marks 2025 as a crucial milestone in our international transformation.
“This new service will not only provide passengers a competitive and high-quality travel option but will also cater to the diverse needs of business and leisure travellers, further deepening the trade, cultural, and tourism ties between Hong Kong and Melbourne.”
