Melbourne International Airport MEL is the only international airport among the greater Melbourne metropolitan area's four airports. It is also Australia’s second-busiest airport and a hub for Qantas & Virgin Blue. Skytrax has awarded Melbourne Airport four stars. Recently, travel to/from Asia has considerably increased, and new routes & airlines were added.

The Airport is located on the Tullamarine Freeway, 25 km from the city center of Melbourne, the capital of the State of Victoria, which is situated in the south-eastern part of Australia. It is accessible either by taking the toll-free Western Ring Road, or obtaining a CityLink pass to the Tullamarine Freeway.  NOTE, however, that from November 2011 the Tullamarine Freeway will be intermittently closed in the next 2 months due to ongoing construction work.

With two runways and an estimated 27.7 million passengers a year, Melbourne Airport is served by a host of national and international airlines offering direct and connecting flights to all parts of the globe.

NOTE: International travelers need to arrive at the airport three hours prior to scheduled flight; domestic travelers need only be there one hour before departure.

On-Airport Hotels at Melbourne Airport: (a)  the Hilton Melbourne Airport Hotel (tel. +613 8336 2000 /fax 2001), connected by covered walkways to Domestic & International terminals;  (b) the Holiday Inn Melbourne Airport (tel. +61 3 9330 3230), within 400 meters of the terminal complex; and  (c) the Hotel Formule 1 (tel. +61 3 8336 1811), a five-minute walk to the terminals.

The passenger terminal complex at Melbourne International Airport consists of four passenger terminals - domestic T1 & T3,  international T2, and the budget / domestic T4. Terminals 1-3 are under one roof and connected to each other inside. (For detailed terminal information, click on 'Terminal Map'.)

Parking options at Melbourne Airport: (For detailed parking information, click on 'Airport Parking'.)

Rental car information desks are in the domestic terminals, at Arrivals, and rental car offices are on the ground floor of the short-term carpark. It is advisable to discuss CityLink tolling options with your rental car agency.

To get from the Airport to your destination, you can rent a car, take a taxi (note that taxi rank at T2 has reopened, replacing T3's taxi rank), or a bus. Bus stops are in front of T3 (Virgi Australia & Rex) - to the left of T3 exit is the bus to the long-term carpark; to the right of TC exit is the Sky Bus.
1. To City Center: The Skybus offers daily express service 24/7, to the Southern Cross station (a 20-min ride), leaving every 10 minutes. Tickets are available online at skybus.com.au or at the bus stop. From there Skybus provides free hotel transfer service 6am-10pm weekds, 7:30-5:30 weekends. You can access there the V Line regional train, as well as the Metro surburban trains, Yarra Trams and interstate train & bus services.
2. To Melbourne NW Suburbs - Tullamarine Bus Lines -  tel. +61 3 9338 3817
3. To Melbourne W Suburbs - MMB lines - tel. +61 3 9311 1228;
4. To Melbourne N & E Suburbs - Airport Bus Eastside - Tel. +61 3 9729 7622
5. Other buses:
- Bus Route 478 runs between the Airport and Moonee Ponds Junction; 
- Bus Route 479 route Moonee Ponds to Sunbury stops at the Airport;
- Yellow Orbital SmartBus runs from Melbourne Arirport to Frankston via Gladstone Park, Roxburgh Park, Epping, Greensborough, Doncaster, Blackburn, Ringwood & Dandenong.

Present and future Airport developments:  From 2011 through 20016 the Airport is taking measures to reduce congestion.  Its Phase I project, the forecourt redevelopment - will be completed by the end of 2011, including adding departure gates and new baggage carousel.  It is expected that by June 2012 there will be another baggage carousel and an AAC Drive-on ramp.