Melbourne Airport (IATA: MEL , ICAO: YMML ), also known as Tullamarine Airport , is the primary airport serving the city of Melbourne and the second busiest in Australia. It was opened in 1970 to replace the nearby Essendon Airport. Melbourne Airport is the sole international airport of the four airports serving the Melbourne metropolitan area.
The airport is 23 kilometres (14 mi) from the city centre. The site of the airport is considered its own suburb—Melbourne Airport, Victoria (postcode 3045). This is adjacent to the suburb of Tullamarine.
The Melbourne—Sydney air route is the third most-travelled passenger air route in the world and the second busiest in the Asia Pacific region. The airport features direct flights to destinations in all states and territories of Australia in addition to numerous destinations in Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe and North America. Melbourne is the most common destination for the airports of five of Australia's seven capital cities. Melbourne serves as a hub for Qantas and Virgin Blue, while Jetstar Airways and Tiger Airways Australia utilise the airport as home base. Melbourne is the busiest airport for international export freight as of December 2008, while second busiest for import freight. Domestically, Melbourne serves as headquarters for Australian air Express and Toll Priority and handles more domestic freight than any other airport in the nation.
In 2003, Melbourne received the International Air Transport Association Eagle Award for service and two National Tourism Awards for tourism services. Skytrax, an airline consultancy company, classifies Melbourne as a four-star airport. The airport comprises four terminals: one international terminal, two domestic terminals and one budget domestic terminal.
History
By the early 1960s, Melbourne's Essendon Airport facilities were insufficient to meet the increasing demand for air travel. Essendon's runways were too short to handle the newer jet airliners intended for international travel, and the terminals could not handle the increased passenger traffic. Expansion of Essendon was not possible because the airport had become surrounded by residential housing.
On 27 November 1962, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced a five-year plan to provide Melbourne with a AU$45 million "jetport" by 1967. A site in Tullamarine was chosen, maintaining proximity to Essendon. In October 1964, Ansett Australia launched the Boeing 727, the first jet aircraft used for domestic air travel in Australia, placing further strain on Essendon and increasing the need for a new airport.
In line with the five-year plan, the airport was ready to handle aircraft by 1967, but not passenger flights. Air Force One landed at the airport on 22 December 1967, carrying United States President Lyndon B. Johnson. Prime Minister John Gorton officially opened the airport to international operations on 1 July 1970 to much fanfare. Domestic flights were transferred from Essendon on 26 June 1971, and the first arrival of a Boeing 747 occurred later that year. In the first year of operations, Melbourne handled six international airlines and 155,275 international passengers.
In 1988, the Australian Government formed the Federal Airports Corporation (FAC) and placed Melbourne Airport under operational control of the FAC along with 21 other airports around the nation. The domestic terminals were significantly upgraded in 1990, and an upgrade of the international terminals began in 1991. In April 1994, the Australian Government announced that all airports operated by Federal Airports Corporation would be privatised in several phases. The carparks were upgraded between 1995 and August 1997.
Melbourne Airport was privatised on 2 July 1997 when it was leased to the newly formed Australia Pacific Airports Corporation Limited. In July 1997, the Melbourne Airport website was launched, providing Australia's first real-time flight operations data over the internet. Since privatisation, further improvements to infrastructure have begun at the airport, including expansion of runways, car parks and terminals.
Melbourne Airport was originally called Tullamarine Airport , after the adjacent suburb of the same name. Tullamarine derives from the indigenous name Tullamareena. International has sporadically been used in the name of the airport. After privatisation, the name changed to Melbourne Airport , following the lead of most other major Australian airports. Locally, the airport is commonly referred to as Tullamarine or simply as Tulla to distinguish the airport from the other Melbourne airports: Avalon, Essendon and Moorabbin.
Terminals
Melbourne Airport's terminals have 56 gates: 40 domestic and 16 international. There are six dedicated freighter parking positions on the Southern Freighter Apron. The current terminal numbering system was introduced in July 2005; they were previously known as Qantas Domestic, International, and South (formerly Ansett Domestic).
Terminal 1
Terminal 1 hosts domestic services for Qantas Group airlines, Qantas, Jetstar and QantasLink and is located to the northern end of the building. Departures are located on the first floor, while arrivals are located on the ground floor. The terminal has 15 parking bays served by aerobridges; 11 are served by single aerobridges whilst 4 are served by double aerobridges.
In late 1999, an expanded Qantas terminal was opened, featuring a second pier, a new access roadway and the expansion of the terminal. The works cost $50 million and took two years to complete. Today, a wide range of shops and food outlets are situated at the end of the terminal near the entrance into Terminal 2. Qantas has a Qantas Club, Business Class and a Chairmans lounge in the terminal.
Terminal 2
Terminal 2 handles all international flights out of Melbourne Airport with the exception of Jetstar's flight to Singapore, which operates via Darwin. The terminal has 16 gates, although gates 12–16 are "standoff" (or non-airbridge gates). There are 11 parking bays supported by aerobridges. Of these, 3 are served by double aerobridges whilst 8 are single. Cathay Pacific, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas (which includes two lounges in Terminal 2, a First lounge and a Business lounge/Qantas Club), Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand/United Airlines and Emirates Airline all operate airline lounges in the terminal. The international terminal, completed in 1996, contains works by noted Australian Indigenous artists including Daisy Jugadai Napaltjarri and Gloria Petyarre.
A $330 million expansion programme for Terminal 2 was announced in 2007. The objectives of this project include new lounges and retail facilities, a new satellite terminal, increased luggage capacity and a redesign of customs and security areas. A new satellite terminal will feature floor-to-ceiling windows that will offer views of the North-South runway. The new concourse will include three double-decker aerobridges, each accommodating an A380 aircraft or two smaller aircraft. The baggage handling capacity will be increased, and two new baggage carousels will cater to increased A380 traffic. Work commenced in November 2007 and will be completed in 2012.
Although described as a satellite terminal, the terminal building will be connected by an above-ground corridor to Terminal 2. Diagrams of the proposed extension indicate that departures will take place on the lower deck (similar to the A380 boarding lounges currently in use at Gates 9 and 11), with arrivals streamed on to the first floor to connect with the current first floor arrivals deck.
Terminal 3
Terminal 3 - Originally the Ansett Australia terminal is now owned by Melbourne Airport. Terminal 3 is home to Virgin Blue and Regional Express. It currently has eleven parking bays served by single aerobridges and eight parking bays not equipped with aerobridges.
An expansion of the terminal was approved in 1989 and completed in 1991 when a second pier was added by Ansett to the south for use by smaller regional airline Kendell. The terminal was used exclusively by the Ansett Group for all its domestic activities until its collapse in 2001. It was intended to be used by the "New" Ansett, under ownership of Tesna — however, following the Tesna group's widthdrawl of the purchase of Ansett in 2002, the terminal was sold back to Melbourne Airport by Ansett's administrators. as a result, Melbourne Airport undertook a major renovation and facelift of the terminal, following which Virgin Blue moved in from what was then called Domestic Express (now Terminal 4), and has since began operating The Lounge in the terminal, using the former Ansett Australia Golden Wing Lounge area. Regional Express also operate an airline lounge
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