An $81 million expansion is underway to almost double the size of the Virgin Australia arrivals hall at Melbourne Airport. The upgrade includes construction of a new baggage carousel and oversized baggage collection point, as well as refurbishment and lengthening of the existing three carousels.
New central arrival escalators and anti-pass back gates will be installed as part of the expansion, which will create a ground floor connection for passengers moving between Terminals 3 and 4.
When complete in 2025, the upgrade will give Virgin Australia passengers 85% more baggage carousel space from which to collect their bags and enable faster baggage delivery so passengers can move through the terminal and onto their end destination more quickly.
“Jostling for a spot to grab your bag off the belt can be frustrating, so these upgrades will provide passengers with almost twice the space to spread out and collect their bags,” said Jim Parashos, Chief of Aviation, Melbourne Airport. “This project will reshape Terminal 3 and increase our baggage capacity while also creating a ground floor connection to Terminal 4. Virgin Australia is now the biggest domestic carrier at Melbourne Airport with millions of passengers passing through Terminal 3 every year so it’s important we build now to cater for future growth.”
Paul Jones, Chief Customer and Digital Officer, Virgin Australia, commented: “Virgin Australia’s domestic capacity at Melbourne Airport is higher than it was last year and pre-COVID. We want our guests to have a wonderful experience when they fly with us, so we are investing in the areas that matter most, from the ground to the air. That also includes launching Australia’s first-ever airline baggage tracking tool, rolling out Rapid Rebook technology to improve the experience in the event of disruption, investing in new latest-generation aircraft, and embarking on a $110 million cabin refurbishment of our existing 737 fleet.”
