International and domestic passenger numbers at Melbourne Airport increased by 5 per cent in the 2012 calendar year to reach a total of 29,297,387 passengers.

Melbourne Airport CEO, Mr Chris Woodruff, said that continuing international passenger growth and increased capacity on domestic services had seen Melbourne pass the 29 million passenger mark in 2012.

International passenger growth increased by 6 per cent compared to 2011. Countries with strong growth included New Zealand, Hong Kong, China, India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.

Domestic passengers increased by 5 per cent in 2012 compared to 2011, reaching 22.3 million passengers.

For the month of December 2012, international passengers increased by 5 per cent compared to the same month last year, to reach a total of 668,283 passengers. Australian passport holders increased by 3 per cent compared to December 2011. Domestic passengers increased by 8 per cent compared to the same period last year to reach a total of 1,952,992 passengers.

“During the year, airlines introduced significant capacity increases on domestic routes which stimulated demand. We see domestic capacity growth continuing, and passengers are certainly making the most of the competitive market, particularly in the last few months of 2012,” said Mr Woodruff.

“Throughout the year we completed a number of key infrastructure projects, including facility and road improvements, to support our growth and we are actively planning for our future growth in the years and decades ahead.”

Melbourne Airport will publish its draft Master Plan in the first quarter of this year for public comment. The draft Master Plan will set out the vision for the future development of the airport over the next two decades, including plans for a third runway and improvements to ground transport infrastructure.
“We are continuing planning for the expansion of our domestic aviation capacity through the development of our Southern Precinct program,” Mr Woodruff said.