Located approximately 22 kilometres northwest of Melbourne's city centre in the suburb of Melbourne Airport, this major facility serves as Victoria's primary international gateway. Operating 24 hours a day without a curfew across a 1,070-hectare site, it stands as Australia's second busiest airport, handling over 36 million passengers in 2025 while serving as a central hub for major domestic and international carriers.
The airport is organised into a single consolidated four-terminal precinct with 68 total gates. Terminal 2 handles all international flights, while Terminals 1, 3, and 4 accommodate domestic and regional services. Terminal 1 serves Qantas Group airlines, Terminal 3 hosts Virgin Australia, and Terminal 4 operates as a dedicated facility for budget carriers, all positioned adjacent to each other for seamless connections.
01 Terminals & concourses
Terminal 1 hosts domestic and regional services for Qantas and QantasLink across 16 aerobridge bays and five non-aerobridge gates. Check-in and lounge entrances sit on the first floor, with baggage claim located on the ground level.
Handling all international operations, Terminal 2 features 20 aerobridge gates alongside outbound security, customs, and expansive lounge facilities. An above-ground corridor connects the main building to an international satellite concourse.
Terminal 3 is home to Virgin Australia, featuring eleven single-aerobridge bays and eight non-aerobridge parking positions. It houses dedicated passenger lounge facilities in former Ansett operational space.
Terminal 4 operates as a dedicated budget airline facility at the south end of the consolidated terminal layout.
Airport map
The free OpenStreetMap layer below shows the whole airport — terminals, concourses, access roads and the parking garages. Zoom in for gate-level detail.
Map: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL, free). Official gate/terminal maps are copyrighted — we link to them.
02 Which terminal does my airline use?
Airlines are grouped by alliance and region. Always confirm the concourse printed on your boarding pass — assignments can change seasonally.
Show all airlines by terminal ›
Grouped by terminal — check the concourse on your boarding pass before you fly; assignments can change seasonally.
Lost, delayed or damaged baggage at MEL
If your checked bag doesn't turn up on the belt, act before you leave the baggage-claim area — that's where every airline keeps its Baggage Service Office.
- Go to your airline's Baggage Service Office in the baggage-claim hall of your arrival terminal.
- File a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) and get your file reference (WorldTracer) number. Keep your bag-tag receipt and boarding pass.
- Track it online using that reference on your airline's baggage-tracking page — most bags are located within 24–48 hours.
- Claim your essentials. On delayed bags airlines reimburse reasonable interim purchases (toiletries, clothing) — keep receipts. International trips are covered by the Montreal Convention.
- If it's truly lost (generally after 21 days) or damaged, file the claim at the same office — damage must be reported before you leave the airport.
Left something in the terminal (not a checked bag)? That's handled by the airport Lost & Found. Items left at a TSA security checkpoint are held by the TSA, not the airline.
03 Getting to & from MEL
These are the ground-transport options connecting the airport with the city. Fares and schedules change — check the operator before you travel.
| Option | Details |
|---|---|
| Road | Located 22 km northwest of Melbourne city centre, accessible via an extended access roadway, terminal forecourts, and multi-storey car parks. |
04 Lounges & amenities
The airport offers penthouse and dedicated carrier lounges, including Qantas, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Air New Zealand, Emirates, Virgin Australia, and Rex facilities.
