Melbourne Airport travellers warned to expect disruptions
Melbourne Airport is warning travellers to prepare for disruptions and inconvenience as it starts work this week on a $45 million refurbishment of its international arrivals hall.
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Melbourne Airport is warning travellers to prepare for disruptions and inconvenience as it starts work this week on a $45 million refurbishment of its international arrivals hall.
With building work expected to continue until the end of next year, it is calling on travellers and people collecting them to allow extra time and to exercise patience.
The multimillion-dollar upgrade includes expansion of the area where people wait for international travellers to arrive, with a larger link connecting terminals two and three, extra seating and escalators, an improved outdoor taxi pick-up zone and better signage to guide travellers through the airport.
Hospitality venues will also be moved and improved.
Melbourne Airport chief Lyell Strambi told the Herald Sun the renovations would have an impact on travellers and their families but could not be avoided.
“Over the next 12 months travellers will notice several parts of the airport are under construction, and we know it is not ideal, however, the projects coming are well worth the wait,” he said.
“We are working around the clock to deliver our infrastructure upgrades, such as new bathroom facilities and hospitality fit-outs, as fast as possible in order to improve the overall traveller experience. Not only will we have a much larger more functional arrivals hall but also travelators in terminal four and 11 new cafes and restaurants.”
Melbourne Airport aviation chief Andrew Gardiner said a boom in international travel in and out of Melbourne was behind the changes.
Passenger data showed the international market was the fastest growing segment out of Melbourne and it was vital the airport was on a par with, or better than, other major airports around the world.
On an average day nearly 16,000 people pass through the arrivals hall and numbers are set to skyrocket in coming years, Mr Gardiner said.
The airport’s recent financial year passenger figures revealed international travellers peaked at 11.4 million, up 5.4 per cent on the last financial year, he said.
And traveller numbers are tipped to grow to almost 70 million passengers per year by 2038.
“The refurbishment is going to create a more spacious and inviting environment for our travellers while providing better connectivity to the rest of our terminal building,” Mr Gardiner said.
Over the next year, travellers would be encouraged to leave the terminal two arrivals area using the doors closest to terminal one.
SkyBus, the long-term car park bus and taxis will collect travellers from in front of Terminal One.
The airport is set to be completely transformed over next decade, with its facade and roof spaces also earmarked for overhaul. Concept designs have been developed.
Outdoor rooftop gardens, bars, a theatre, new wining and dining venues and landscaped gardens are all part of the airport’s grand plan to provide passengers with an experience that reflects the look and feel of Melbourne, but rivals the best airports in the world for comfort and features, Melbourne Airport says.
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A landscaped central bridge with seating — similar in form and function to the one connecting Melbourne Central to the Emporium in Melbourne’s CBD — will link terminals one, two and three to the multi-level car park and transport hub directly opposite.
The airport’s long-term vision also includes the building of a third runway, new access to the airport via an airport rail link — an elevated loop road network that will allow private vehicles to leave the freeway, enter the airport and leave again, without encountering an intersection or traffic light — and substantial changes to the ‘front door’ of the airport and forecourt usage, so cars are separated from pedestrians.
Both the international and domestic terminals will also be expanded.