Melbourne Airport has once again been crowned the best airport in Australia and the Pacific, taking out the top regional honour at the Skytrax World Airport Awards for the sixth time in seven years.
The recognition comes as international travel through Melbourne continues to surge, with January marking the airport’s busiest month on record for overseas passengers. In the past six months alone, more than half a dozen new airlines have been added to the network, reflecting growing demand and renewed global connectivity.
Globally, Singapore Changi Airport claimed the top spot for Airport of the Year, followed by Incheon International Airport and Tokyo Haneda Airport.
Melbourne Airport CEO Lorie Argus said the award reflects the experience delivered on the ground, even as the airport faces growing pressure on its infrastructure.
“We’re incredibly proud that travellers continue to rate us as the best airport in our region, but we want to be even better,” Argus said.
“The people who work at Melbourne Airport are our secret sauce and always strive to put our customers first, but sometimes our infrastructure and border technology let us down.”
She pointed to ongoing challenges around processing increasing passenger numbers with outdated systems.
“We’re processing record international passenger numbers through the same amount of immigration kiosks we had a decade ago while still requiring travellers to fill out a paper arrivals card, which has to change as we edge closer to welcoming the world to Australia for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.”
Looking ahead, the airport has announced a major $4.5 billion international terminal expansion, aimed at easing congestion and supporting future growth.
“Our international terminal expansion will give our passengers significantly more room at the same time as allowing our airline partners to grow, through an expanded check-in hall and five new aircraft stands,” Argus said.
For now, the award cements Melbourne’s position as the region’s top airport, even as the next phase of upgrades begins.
