Melbourne Airport to overhaul pick-up and drop-off zones next month

Melbourne Airport will make its biggest road-network changes since opening in 1970 when new pick-up and drop-off zones open on October 6. The existing zones will close, ending a 56-year routine in which passengers have been dropped at the departures ramp.

Drivers heading to the airport to collect or drop off passengers will need to leave the Tullamarine Freeway earlier, at Exit 19, then use the elevated roadway to reach the terminals. The new zones will sit inside the undercover parking area.

Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the relocation will create room to expand the international terminal. More than 100,000 people use Melbourne Airport each day, and annual passenger numbers are forecast to reach 75 million by 2047, she said.

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With more than 100,000 people using Melbourne Airport every day and annual passenger numbers predicted to reach 75 million people by 2047, we need to expand our precinct.

Argus described the change as exciting but acknowledged that drivers and passengers would need time to adjust. The airport plans to have staff available to help them navigate the new arrangement.

The new zones will separate private and commercial vehicles and allow passengers to wait for rides under cover and near toilets. A 60-minute free waiting zone will continue to operate off Mercer Drive.

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This is an exciting change, but it's also a big change and we know it will take people time to get used to it, so we'll have plenty of staff on hand to help support drivers and passengers.