Building Your Airport
Melbourne Airport is building a third runway, which will deliver much needed aviation infrastructure capacity for Victoria and help support thousands of new jobs.
37,000
additional jobs by 2046
$3 billion
project cost
2031
opening
Runway approved
Early works and community health study terms of reference begin
Noise sharing and airspace concept design refinement
Early construction works begin
Noise amelioration plan finalised and main construction works begin
Community health study begins
Detailed airspace design finalised
Operational readiness and testing of the third runway
Runway opens
All works complete
Frequently asked questions
Melbourne Airport welcomes the Federal Government's approval of our third runway, which will deliver much needed aviation infrastructure capacity for Victoria and help support thousands of new jobs.
The parallel runway system will significantly increase Melbourne Airport’s capacity by allowing for simultaneous take-offs and landings, which will help reduce delays, encourage growth and facilitate competition between airlines. It will ensure we have adequate capacity to serve Victoria’s needs for decades to come and will benefit Victorian travellers and exporters. With more than 76 million travellers expected by 2042, it's important we plan for this demand.
Early works activities ahead of construction will begin in 2025, with planes expected to be landing on the runway by 2031.
The new runway will be 3,000m long and will be constructed 1.3 kilometres to the west of the current north-south runway. The existing east-west runway is currently 2,286m long and, as part of construction, it will be shortened by 346 metres from the western end. However, as part of noise-sharing measures, the eastern end of the runway will later be extended by the same amount.
Airports by nature are busy, noisy places that can impact neighbouring communities. When the new runway is operational residents close to the approach and departure flight paths will notice more aircraft flying overhead. Suburbs very close to the airport, particularly Keilor and Bulla, will experience the most noticeable changes. Melbourne Airport is preparing a Noise Sharing Plan that will outline how the airport will share and lessen noise for nearby neighbours.
We are currently developing a Noise Amelioration Plan & Program in consultation with key stakeholders. This could include improvements like double-glazing windows, upgraded vents and seals, and acoustic insulation for eligible homes, schools, childcare and healthcare facilities. The boundaries of the plan, which will be defined by noise forecasts. Consultation on the plan’s scope will begin in 2025, and we’ll submit the final plan to the Federal Government for approval in 2026. Once approved, eligible property owners will be contacted directly.
Community pop-ups
Want to know more about the third runway project? Chat with our team at these upcoming events:
Saturday 16 August
11am-3.30pm, Joe Brown Oval, Keilor
Consultation
Prior to Federal Government approval of the third runway, the Major Development Plan was on public exhibition over a 104-day period, during which Melbourne Airport held more than 50 engagement sessions (both face-to-face and online) and gathered 2,128 submissions. Four newsletters were distributed to almost 1 million households surrounding the airport and its flight paths.
Following the end of the public exhibition period and submission of the Major Development Plan, Melbourne Airport has continued to engage with stakeholders to keep them updated about progress and answer questions. There will be ongoing consultation and engagement as we develop the Noise Amelioration Plan and the Community Health Study and refine the new flight paths required for the third runway. Information about these consultation opportunities will be shared on this website.
Factsheets
We have developed a series of fact sheets on a variety of topics relating to the third runway. Got questions about a topic and would you like us to develop a new fact sheet? Contact us
Melbourne Airport's Third Runway MDP
Melbourne Airport's Third Runway Supplementary Report
Gallery
Our Third Runway has been approved
Third Runway - Our Shared Future
Construction approach to the third runway
Contact Us
Have a question about the project which isn't answered elsewhere? Send us an enquiry using the form on this page.