Victorian travellers, we’ve got good news – getting in and out of Melbourne Airport is about to get a whole lot easier. The $500 million Naarm Way project – a massive redevelopment designed to overhaul how passengers access Terminals 1, 2 and 3 – has just hit two major construction milestones, bringing smoother pick-ups and drop-offs a big step closer.
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The first milestone? A new three-lane express ramp connecting the Tullamarine Freeway directly to the airport’s upcoming free pick-up and drop-off zones. The final Super-T beam (one of 162, weighing a total of nearly 10,000 tonnes – about 50 jumbo jets’ worth of steel) was lifted into place last week, marking a key stage in the new T123 transport hub.
Over at the terminal forecourt, Melbourne Airport’s largest pedestrian bridge is now structurally complete. Once open, the 19-metre-wide bridge will be the main link between the terminals and the new transport hub – so no more dashing across traffic with your luggage in tow.
Of course, progress comes with a few growing pains. For now, around 2,000 carpark bays have been temporarily removed to make way for construction, and from November 3, parking rates are set to increase slightly to manage demand. Drive-up rates will range from $16 per day in the value car park to $99 for valet – though Chief of Ground Transport Jai McDermott insists Melbourne Airport remains “Australia’s best value capital city airport,” with online bookings starting from as low as $14 per day.
According to McDermott, Naarm Way represents “the biggest change to how passengers come to the airport since we opened in 1970”. Once complete, the upgrade is expected to double pick-up and drop-off capacity, cut peak-hour wait times by up to 28 minutes by 2029, and free up space for an international terminal expansion.
The new pick-up and drop-off zones are slated to open in the second half of 2026 – and until then, the 60-minute free wait zone remains your best bet for stress-free airport runs.
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