Melbourne Airport’s runway layout has stayed largely the same since 1970. Back then, the airport was built for a very different time, with fewer people flying and a much smaller Melbourne to serve.
Today, the city is growing, demand for air travel is rising, and passenger numbers are forecast to reach around 76 million a year by 2042. The new runway is part of how we’re planning ahead, so the airport can keep supporting the way Victoria travels, works and moves goods in the decades to come.
Melbourne Airport’s Third Runway Project is a $3 billion, privately funded build expected to open in 2031. A lot goes into a project this size, but for Melburnians living near the airport, the bigger questions tend to be much closer to home. What does it mean for air travel, for your suburb, and for the noise over your house?
Why Does Melbourne Airport Need a Third Runway?
Melbourne Airport needs a third runway because the existing two-runway system was never designed for a city this size.
Both runways intersect, which means they can't operate at full capacity at the same time. A parallel runway system, with the new north-south runway and its connecting taxiways, is how we’re keeping pace with Melbourne’s growth.
Here's what's behind the need:
Melbourne is one of the only major Australian cities that doesn't have parallel runways. By 2032, Melbourne's population is expected to reach 6 million, overtaking Sydney as Australia's largest city. The airport needs to grow with the city.
The two existing runways cross each other. This means there’s a built-in limit on how many take-offs and landings the airport can handle at any given time
When there are delays in the mornings, the whole day pays for it. Delays that build on a single runway flow through to hundreds of flights by the afternoon. Running two runways in a parallel direction at the same time changes that equation.
Melbourne Airport handles almost 40% of Australia's air freight exports. Constrained runway operations mean a single disruption can delay shipments across the board. As passenger demand grows, so does freight, and the existing runway system has to carry both.
What Does a Third Runway Change for Melburnians?
For Melburnians, the new runway is about what changes it will bring to their everyday lives. That means more work connected to the airport, a stronger contribution to Victoria’s economy, more capacity for airlines to compete, and a more reliable way to move time-sensitive freight in and out of the state.
That can affect the job market your kids step into, the flight options you see when booking a trip, and the way Victorian goods reach customers here and overseas.
For people looking for work, it means more airport-linked jobs close to home. Third runway is expected to open up more opportunities across aviation, logistics, retail, hospitality, maintenance and business services. Around 10,700 jobs are expected during construction alone. The new runway is forecast to support 37,000 additional jobs in Victoria by 2046.
For travellers, it means more room for airlines to compete. When you're booking a flight to Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide or overseas, more airlines competing for your seat can mean more choice in flight times, routes and fares. It won't make every ticket cheaper, but it gives you a better chance of finding something that suits your budget and plans.
For families, it means fewer flow-on problems from delays. A delayed flight is rarely just a delayed flight. It can mean a missed birthday dinner, a late school pick-up, a rushed connection or a workday that starts badly. With more capacity to manage aircraft movements during busy periods, there is less pressure building at the point where delays start.
For Victorian businesses, it means freight is more likely to move on time. Fresh produce, medical supplies, online orders and high-value exports all rely on air freight. Since much of that freight travels in the belly of passenger aircraft, a stronger runway system can help keep goods moving for the businesses and customers who depend on them.
For Melbourne as a city, it means planning for the growth already coming. Melbourne is growing fast, and whether you're travelling for work, study, family or a holiday, you need an airport that can carry that demand without the pressure mounting on an already constrained system. The new runway is part of making sure it can.
Will the Third Runway Increase Aircraft Noise in My Area?
Yes, some areas will hear more aircraft noise once the third runway opens. It won’t be the same for every suburb, though. What you hear will depend on where you live, how the runways are being used, the weather, the time of day and the final flight paths.
The third runway will also change how aircraft move over parts of Melbourne. Airservices Australia leads the detailed flight path design, but that isn't expected to be complete until 2029, two years before the runway opens. So if you’re wondering what could happen over your street, your local park or your child’s school, that's still being worked out.
That’s where the Noise Sharing and Airspace Concept Plan comes in, helping spread aircraft movements so no single suburb carries overhead activity all day, every day. The east-west runway is also a big part of how that works. The noise won’t be shared evenly, but the plan is about sharing the load more fairly and giving communities closest to the airport periods of respite.
What Will Melbourne Airport Do for Communities Most Affected by the Third Runway?
Along with the Noise Sharing Plan, the Federal Government’s approval of the third runway comes with binding requirements. These are also known as conditions of approval.
For Melburnians living closest to the airport, those initiatives focus on practical noise support, long-term health monitoring and managing the environmental footprint of the build.
Noise Amelioration Plan and Program – If you own a home or run a noise-sensitive facility in Hume or Brimbank that existed before 14 November 2022, and the property sits within the forecast noise contour, you may be entitled to practical acoustic upgrades at no cost. That could mean double-glazed windows, roof insulation, and better door and window seals to help reduce aircraft noise impacts inside the building. The draft plan is due to go to the Federal Government for approval in 2026, and the program will run for at least 10 years from that point.
Community Health Study – This independent study will track what this change means for people’s health over time, not just before the new runway opens. No Australian airport has commissioned a study like this before. Independent health experts from Deakin and Liverpool universities drafted the terms of reference, and a separate independent team will carry out the research. They’ll collect baseline data before the runway opens, then keep tracking health impacts for 20 years after. That includes things many families care about day to day, such as sleep disturbance, annoyance, communication interference and the effects of aircraft noise on children’s learning. The findings will be published on Melbourne Airport’s website each year, so you and your community can see what’s being recorded over time.
The build itself also has an environmental footprint. To reduce CO2 emissions relating to construction – as well as reduce waste and minimise materials consumption – we are investigating the feasibility of:
minimising the construction footprint and vegetation removal
focusing on an overall reduction in construction material requirements
exploring the potential to use low-carbon concrete as well as using supplementary cementitious materials (thus reducing the environmental impact of concrete production) during construction works
ensuring greater use of recycled steel where possible as well as finding ways to reduce steel consumption
utilising local sourcing strategies, such as selecting materials from local suppliers, which reduces the distance required to transport materials
using more recycled content in asphalt or warm-mix asphalt over hot-mix asphalt to reduce the carbon footprint of flexible pavements
better management of site works to reduce transportation emissions
using energy-efficient vehicles and renewable fuels in the construction process • re-using green or organic waste on site, such as for compost
Once the third runway is operational, Melbourne Airport’s total annual scope three greenhouse gas emissions are estimated to increase from 814 to 1,162 kilotonnes of CO2-e. For the emissions within our direct control, we’re committed to a 10% reduction below what they would otherwise be.
Building the new runway also means clearing sections of native habitat. Melbourne Airport is required to offset that by securing and permanently managing environmental land within the airport precinct and at other locations across Victoria.
How Were Communities Consulted Before the Third Runway Was Approved?
Before the third runway was approved, the draft Major Development Plan was on public exhibition for 104 days. We held more than 50 community engagement sessions across Melbourne, face-to-face and online, and newsletters went out to more than 1.2 million households near the airport and its flight paths.
More than 2,100 submissions came in from residents, local councils and stakeholders across the region. These formed part of the formal assessment that determined whether this project could go ahead, and on what conditions.
After residents raised concerns about noise concentration in certain suburbs, the Federal Government made restoring the east-west runway's original length via the Eastern Extension Project a condition of approval.
The number of operating modes once all three runways are open will increase from eight to 14. This change is what gives communities near the airport genuine periods of respite from overhead activity.
The Major Development Plan was approved on 10 September 2024. Early works got underway at Tullamarine in August 2025, and main construction works are scheduled to begin in 2026. The runway is expected to open in 2031. But that doesn’t close the door on your input.
Consultation will open on the draft Noise Sharing Plan later in 2026. So if you live nearby, work nearby, run a local business, or care about how this project is delivered in your part of Melbourne, what you raise still matters.
Stay Part of What Changes for Your Suburb
Melbourne does need a third runway, because the airport we’ve relied on for decades was built for a smaller city with fewer flights and fewer people moving through it.
The new runway gives the airport more capacity to handle the way Melbourne is growing, but it also comes with real responsibilities around noise, health and the environment, especially for communities closest to Tullamarine.
If you live nearby, this is a major project worth staying close to. You can check the Melbourne Airport Projects Hub website, read the fact sheets, sign up for updates or visit the Have Your Say page when consultation is open.
If you have a question about your street, your suburb or your property, you can contact the project team at newrunway@melair.com.au or (03) 9297 1597.