Domestic airfares are still a year away from returning to pre-pandemic levels even as airport passenger numbers returned to levels before COVID-19 in March and over the Easter holidays, Melbourne Airport says.

Travellers should instead expect a more moderate “softening” in domestic and international prices over the rest of the year, Melbourne Airport’s head of aviation, Jim Parashos, added, despite a strong return in airline capacity pushing March-traffic levels to a post-pandemic high.