Melbourne Airport

Melbourne Airport at Tullamarine is about 22 km northwest of the Melbourne CBD. A taxi or car takes about 30 minutes in normal traffic, and the SkyBus City Express to Southern Cross Station averages about 30 minutes, or around 45 minutes during morning and evening peaks. There is currently no train link from the airport to the city.

Yes. Melbourne Airport (MEL) is widely known as Tullamarine or Tulla, after the suburb where it opened. It is the city's main airport for both domestic and international flights. It is not the same as Avalon Airport (AVV), which lies about 50 km southwest of the Melbourne CBD near Geelong and has far fewer flights.

Melbourne Airport has four terminals. Terminal 1 serves Qantas domestic flights, Terminal 2 handles international flights, Terminal 3 serves Virgin Australia, and Terminal 4 serves Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways domestic flights. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 share one building, and Terminal 4 sits next to Terminal 3 and the ground transport hub.

All international flights use Terminal 2, including Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia international services. For domestic flights, Qantas and QantasLink use Terminal 1, Virgin Australia uses Terminal 3 and some Terminal 4 gates, and Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways use Terminal 4. Check your booking, because one airline can use different terminals for domestic and international flights.

Yes. Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are in one building and Terminal 4 is a short walk from Terminal 3, so the full length takes about 10 minutes on foot. Each terminal has its own security screening, so you must leave the secure area and clear security again when you change terminals. Allow extra time for this.

SkyBus City Express runs non-stop from kerbside stops at Terminals 1, 3 and 4 to Southern Cross Station in the CBD. Buses leave every 10 minutes at peak times and every 15 minutes otherwise, from 4am to 1am. Tickets are sold online, at kiosks by the stops and at baggage storage counters in Terminal 2 arrivals.

No, Melbourne Airport has no train service in 2026. The Melbourne Airport Rail project, which will link the airport to the city via Sunshine, has been delayed, with completion now expected by 2033. Until then, use SkyBus, a taxi or rideshare, or take bus route 901 from Terminal 4 to Broadmeadows Station for metropolitan trains.

Taxi ranks are on the ground floor outside Terminals 1 and 2 and in the Terminal 4 transport hub; do not accept taxi offers elsewhere. Uber and other rideshare services pick up in lane 1 of the forecourt for Qantas, international and Virgin Australia passengers, and on level 2 of the Terminal 4 hub for Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways.

Except for New Zealand citizens, every visitor needs a visa or travel authority before flying, such as an ETA through the AustralianETA app or an eVisitor for many European passports. On arrival you declare food, plant and animal items on the Incoming Passenger Card. Selected Qantas flights let you use the digital Australian Travel Declaration instead of the paper card.

Gull Airport Service coaches run daily to Geelong from a stop opposite Terminal 3, between 5:30am and midnight. SkyBus runs express services to St Kilda and on to Frankston and the Mornington Peninsula, stopping at Terminals 4 and 1. Taxis, rideshare and private transfers also go directly to both areas.

Melbourne uses Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10, and moves to daylight saving time, UTC+11, from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April. The currency is the Australian dollar (AUD). Weather is temperate and changeable, with warm to hot summers and cool winters, so pack a layer at any time of year.

Melbourne Airport is operated by Australia Pacific Airports Corporation (APAC). It handled about 37 million passengers in the 2025/26 financial year, including more than 12 million international passengers. The airport has two runways and no curfew, so flights can operate 24 hours a day, and it opened for international flights in 1970.