Melbourne Airport
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| Melbourne Airport | |||
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| IATA: MEL - ICAO: YMML | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | Australia Pacific Airports | ||
| Serves | Melbourne | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 434 ft (132 m) | ||
| Coordinates | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 09/27 | 7,500 | 2,286 | Asphalt |
| 16/34 | 11,998 | 3,657 | Asphalt |
Melbourne Airport (also known as Tullamarine Airport) (IATA: MEL, ICAO: YMML) is to the north of the city, adjacent to the suburb of Tullamarine, Victoria, Australia. The airport has its own suburb boundaries with the area officially named Melbourne Airport and the postcode 3045.
The airport was built to replace the nearby, outdated Essendon Airport, which did not have runways or terminals able to accommodate large aircraft such as the Boeing 747 and McDonnell Douglas DC-10, which began to appear in the late 1960s. The airport opened on 1 July 1970. Locals often refer to it as "Tullamarine Airport" or simply 'Tulla' due to its location.
Melbourne Airport has three terminals. The international terminal (T2) has 16 gates (gates 12-16 are 'standoff' (or non-airbridge) gates). The two domestic terminals, T1 used exclusively by Qantas and its Jetstar subsidiary, and the multi-user T3 primarily used by Virgin Blue, have 46 gates between them. In the 2004-05 financial year nearly 21 million passengers used the airport. There were 180,500 aircraft movements, the vast majority (151,200) being domestic passenger services. It is Australia's second busiest airport, after Kingsford Smith International Airport in Sydney. The airport is curfew-free and operates 24 hours a day, although in practice there are few aircraft movements between midnight and 4 a.m, except freight aircraft.
Recent works have been undertaken to prepare the airport for the late 2007 arrival of the double-deck Airbus A380, which has been purchased by a number of airlines using the airport including Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Thai, Singapore Airlines and Emirates. Improvements include construction of dual airbridges (Gates 9 and 11) with the ability to board both decks simultaneously to reduce turnround times, the extension of the international terminal building by 20 metres to include new penthouse airline lounges, an expansion to the short-term carpark, a second exit off the Tullamarine Freeway to reduce congestion on Airport Drive, the widening of the north/south runway by 15 metres and the widening of remote stands and taxiways. All this work has made the airport the first A380-capable airport in Australia.[citation needed]
A number of Australian airports were privatised in 1997 including Melbourne Airport, which was leased to the Australia Pacific Airports Corporation, a company largely owned by a group of infrastructure investment funds, for 50 years. Significant refurbishment of the rather dated terminals has been undertaken since privatisation and the airport now boasts a wide array of shops and food outlets.
In 2001 the state government investigated the construction of a heavy rail link to Melbourne Airport. Two options were considered, one branching off the Broadmeadows suburban line to the east, and another branching off the Albion goods line, which passes close to the airport's boundary to the south, with the latter being the preferred option. Market research found that most passengers preferred travel by taxi or private car to the airport. Poor patronage of similar links in Sydney and Brisbane also cast doubt on the viability of the project². This lead to the project being deferred for at least ten years. The existing Skybus service was improved to compensate and remains the only available public transport service to the airport direct from the Melbourne CBD, the trip taking approximately 20 minutes from Southern Cross Station.
Melbourne Airport passenger numbers have hit a record high, with the airport recording more than 20 milllion passengers in 2005. However recently numbers have been declining as a result of airlines leaving and existing airlines cutting capacity. Melbourne international passenger numbers were down 2% in the final quarter of 2006. [1]
In 2007, after talks between the Qatar and Australian governments, the Australian government has approved Qatar Airways request to commence their planned daily service into Australia, with Melbourne planned as their first destination. [2]
Contents |
[edit] Airlines using Melbourne Airport
The following airlines operate services to Melbourne Airport in their own right. Many others operate services as code-shares.
[edit] International (T2)
- Air China (Beijing, Shanghai-Pudong)
- Air Mauritius (Mauritius)
- Air New Zealand (Auckland, Christchurch, Rarotonga [seasonal][3], San Francisco[4], Wellington)
- Freedom Air (Hamilton, Palmerston North, Dunedin) [All seasonal]
- Air Pacific (Nadi)
- Cathay Pacific (Hong Kong)
- China Eastern Airlines (Shanghai-Pudong)
- China Southern Airlines (Guangzhou)
- Emirates (Auckland, Dubai, Singapore)
- Garuda Indonesia (Denpasar/Bali)
- Indian Airlines (New Delhi [Starts November 2007])[5]
- Malaysia Airlines (Kuala Lumpur)
- Philippine Airlines (Manila)
- Qantas (International) (Adelaide, Auckland, Bangkok, Cairns, Hong Kong, London-Heathrow, Los Angeles, Queenstown (seasonal), San Francisco, Sapporo (Seasonal), Shanghai-Pudong, Singapore, Sydney, Tokyo-Narita, Vancouver (seasonal), Wellington)
- Jetstar Airways (Bangkok, Christchurch, Denpasar/Bali, Honolulu)
- Singapore Airlines (Singapore)
- Thai Airways International (Bangkok)
- United Airlines (Los Angeles)
- Vietnam Airlines (Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City)
- Virgin Blue
- Pacific Blue (Christchurch, Nadi)
[edit] Qantas Domestic Terminal (T1)
- O'Connor Airlines (Mount Gambier)
- Qantas (Adelaide, Alice Springs, Ayers Rock, Brisbane, Broome, Cairns, Canberra, Hobart, Perth, Sydney)
- QantasLink (Canberra, Devonport, Launceston, Mt Hotham (seasonal), Newcastle, Mildura, Wollongong)
- Jetstar Airways (Ballina/Byron, Cairns, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hamilton Island, Hobart, Launceston, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle, Townsville)
[edit] Southern Domestic Terminal (T3)
- Regional Express (Albury, Burnie, King Island, Merimbula, Mildura, Mt. Gambier, Portland, Wagga Wagga)
- Virgin Blue (Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Canberra, Coffs Coast, Darwin, Gold Coast, Hobart, Launceston, Sunshine Coast, Newcastle, Perth, Sydney)
[edit] See also
[edit] Notes
- Minister of Transport (2002). "Melbourne Airport Rail Link not viable now."
[edit] References
- ^ Record passenger numbers for Melbourne Airport 2005
- ^ "Qatar Airways to fly to Melbourne", The Age, 2007-03-18. Retrieved on 2007-03-18.
- ^ [1] Melbourne International Flight summary, Page 6
- ^ [2] Melbourne International Flight summary, Page 6
- ^ "Melbourne sole destination for Indian Airlines", The Age, 2007-02-15. Retrieved on 2007-03-11.
[edit] External links
| Melbourne landmarks | |
|---|---|
| Buildings | Arts Centre Spire · Crown Casino · Federation Square · Flinders Street Station · Luna Park · Melbourne Central · Melbourne Cricket Ground · Parliament House · Queen Victoria Market · Rialto Towers · Royal Exhibition Building · Shrine of Remembrance · Sidney Myer Music Bowl |
| Precincts | Chinatown · Melbourne Docklands · Southbank · St Kilda |
| Nature and Parks | Birrarung Marr · Carlton Gardens · Fitzroy Gardens · Royal Botanic Gardens |
| Cultural Institutions | Melbourne Zoo · Melbourne Museum · National Gallery of Victoria · State Library of Victoria · Victorian Arts Centre |
| Transportation | Flinders Street Station · Melbourne Airport · Southern Cross Station |
