Melbourne Airport must keep pace with city, chief says

Popular restaurants and shops at the heart of Melbourne Airport will be overhauled and, in some cases, replaced as part of a major renovation to bring a more authentic experience to the city’s gateway.

Popular restaurants and shops at the heart of Melbourne Airport will be overhauled as part of a major renovation to bring a more authentic experience to the millions of people arriving in the city each month.

Sites including PJ O’Brien’s and McDonald’s near terminals 2 and 3 will be revamped and, in some cases, replaced with restaurants celebrating the city’s cafe culture and fine dining.

Melbourne Airport CEO Lyell Strambi wants to change the impression passengers have of the city when they touch down.

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By 2038 Melbourne Airport, bosses predict they will process nearly as many passengers as Heathrow does today.

It comes as the airport boss says the airport desperately needs a new runway, and has even said it may need six runways.

“The Melbourne experiment is a great one and what we’re trying to do is bring some of that flavour into the terminals,” he said.

“That includes bringing events to life. People will get a feel for the Australian Open before they’ve even left Tullamarine.

“If you look at what we’ve already done at terminal 4, it’s a great passenger experience there ... people really do get a buzz. There are some really big developments in retail coming that will allow us to take a big step in that change.”

It comes as new figures show the scale of the surge in demand at the airport, with terminal 2 recording it’s busiest day on record.

An artist’s image of the proposed Melbourne Airport retail expansion.

The terminal processed 40,623 travellers on December 22 and more than a million international passengers passed through Melbourne Airport in December.

“It is pleasing to see our international passenger volumes rise consistently, which is largely due to the addition of new international airlines joining Melbourne airport in recent times,” Mr Strambi said.

“Some of the projects set to take shape over the next 12 months include a redevelopment of the T2 check-in hall, expansion of international security screening and construction of a new on-airport hotel all aimed at improving the traveller experience.”

More than 2000 passengers pass through the four modern terminals every hour, adding up to more than three million monthly journeys.

More than 2000 passengers pass through the four modern terminals at Melbourne Airport every hour. Picture: Jason Edwards

By 2038 airport, bosses predict they will process nearly as many passengers as Heathrow does today, with annual trips figures expected to double and reach 70 million within the next two decades.

But Mr Strambi warned that the airport needed to keep up with the state’s boom.

“Airports double in size every 20 years and we’ve been doing better than that pace, with 10 years of consecutive month on months,’’ he said.

“This is no flash in the pan. It is a story about Victoria’s success so we know with the future of the airport, the master plan, that we need to optimise the benefits for the city.

“Each new daily international service we bring to the airport adds more than $100 million of economic value to the state.”

Popular restaurants and shops at the heart of Melbourne Airport will be overhauled as part of a major renovation. Picture: Jason Edwards

But an increase in passengers and services has led to more than a fifth of flights being delayed.

Mr Strambi said a third runway, to run from east to west, was vital for the future of Tullamarine and Melbourne.

“Our two-runway system has served as well, but we’re already looking ahead because the growth keeps coming,” he said.

More than a million international passengers passed through Melbourne Airport in December. Picture: Jason Edwards

“We’ve got four terminals now, but we’ll need a fifth, and eventually a sixth, so we need to start planning and building before we are caught off guard.

“Similarly, modelling shows the expansion works on the Tullamarine Freeway, which are terrific, will only buy us another decade before the traffic fills up again.

An airport rail link has been one of Melbourne’s most hotly debated issues over the past decade and Sydney and Melbourne both deliver regular services connecting their terminals to the city.

Both state and federal governments committed $5 billion each to get the project started.

A full business case is now under way and work is expected to begin by 2022.

“It is a big project, not just because of what it means for the airport, but what it means for all of Melbourne,” he said.

“Our rail system is already constrained in the city so you’ve got to build a whole new set of capacities to the west, which mean better train access for Melbourne’s western suburbs and more trains to Geelong and Point Cook.”

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