Melbourne Airport’s new pick-up and drop-off zones for Terminals 1, 2 and 3 are now open inside the T123 Transport Hub. The departures ramp that delivered passengers to the terminal doors for more than 50 years has closed.
The airport describes it as the biggest change to its road network since the airport opened in 1970. On Tuesday morning, early travellers told the ABC the switch had gone smoothly, though some are worried about the longer walk to the terminals.
Melbourne Airport's drop-off has moved off the terminal kerb and into the T123 hub. Is less congestion worth the longer walk?
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What Has Changed
The new zones serve passengers flying Qantas from Terminal 1, international passengers at Terminal 2 and Virgin Australia passengers at Terminal 3.
Drop-off is now on Level 3 of the T123 Transport Hub and pick-up is on Level 2. Both are free to use. Passengers are no longer set down at the terminal doors; they leave the car in the hub and cross to the terminals on foot.
Plenty stays the same. According to Melbourne Airport, there is no change to the car parks or to rideshare, taxi, bus or coach pick-up. The 60-minute Free Wait Zone off Mercer Drive also remains open.
Getting There
For anyone doing a Melbourne Airport pick up, the change starts on the freeway. Drivers now leave the Tullamarine Freeway earlier than before, at Exit 19 (Naarm Way), and follow an elevated roadway into the hub, the airport and Time Out Melbourne reported.
From the hub, a 19-metre-wide bridge carries passengers across to the terminals, Time Out said.
It is one of several changes to how Melbourne gets around this year. In March, Victoria set its final planning rules for homes near Melbourne’s transport hubs.
More Room for Drivers
The new pick-up area has 115 drive-in, drive-out bays, almost three times the capacity of the old forecourt, according to Time Out. Drop-off has almost twice as many bays as the old ramp.
Melbourne Airport chief executive Lorie Argus said the layout would also separate different kinds of traffic.
“The new Pick up and Drop off zones will separate private and commercial vehicles, provide drivers with more space and give our passengers comfortable places to wait away from Melbourne’s unpredictable weather,” she said.
That comment about the weather comes after last week’s downpour, when flood watches were issued across Victoria.
The zones, the elevated roadway and the footbridge cost a combined $500 million, the ABC and Time Out reported.
How the First Morning Went
Airport spokesperson Andrew Lund told the ABC the airport expected an adjustment period.
“This is a big change and it’s going to take everybody, including us, a little of time to get used to,” he said.
Some travellers are worried about the longer walk from the hub to the terminals. Mr Lund said help was available for passengers who needed it.
“We’ve got support in the form of buggies and wheelchairs available for people to help them with that and they’ve been used quite regularly so far this morning,” he said.
Extra staff have been rostered for the coming weeks while people get used to the new arrangements, the ABC reported.
For at least one traveller, the first run was an improvement on the old setup. “So far it’s easy, pretty convenient. The last one was a bit hectic, a bit busy,” they told the ABC.
Room for a Bigger Terminal
Moving pick-up and drop-off away from the terminal kerb clears the way for a $4.5 billion expansion of the international terminal, according to the ABC, Time Out and Melbourne Airport.
The old departures ramp, a fixture of airport trips for more than 50 years, is now out of use. Drivers dropping off or collecting passengers at Terminals 1, 2 and 3 now take Exit 19 at Naarm Way and head for the hub instead.
Sources: ABC News, “Melbourne Airport’s new pick-up and drop-off zones meet passenger approval”, 6 October 2026 (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-10-06/vic-new-melbourne-airport-drop-off-pick-up-area-opens/107231868); Time Out Melbourne, “Melbourne Airport’s new pick-up and drop-off zone is open now as part of a $500-million project”, 5 October 2026 (https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/news/melbourne-airports-new-pick-up-and-drop-off-zone-is-open-now-as-part-of-a-500-million-project-100526); Melbourne Airport, “Big changes coming to Melbourne Airport on October 6” (https://www.melbourneairport.com.au/corporate/big-changes-coming-to-melbourne-airport-on-october-6)
Photo: Tangerineduel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
A level of the terminal car park at Melbourne Airport at night, photographed in November 2017. This photograph is illustrative; it was taken years before the new pick-up and drop-off zones opened.
