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If you needed another excuse to feel smug about living in the best city in the world, here it is: Melbourne Airport has just been crowned the best airport in Australia and the Pacific at the prestigious Skytrax World Airport Awards.
Announced in London at the Passenger Terminal Expo 2026, the accolade is based on the world’s largest airport customer satisfaction survey, with travellers ranking more than 565 airports across the globe. And this is not a one-off win: it’s the sixth time in seven years Melbourne Airport has taken out the top regional honour.
Off the back of a record-breaking summer, the airport clocked its busiest ever month for international travel in January. And it’s not just about volume – it’s about options. In the past six months alone, a raft of new carriers have touched down, including Delta Air Lines, Hong Kong Airlines and Shenzhen Airlines, opening up routes to Los Angeles, Hong Kong and Shenzhen. Meanwhile, Indonesia AirAsia, Maldivian Airlines, Finnair and British Airways are all gearing up to launch services in the near future.
CEO Lorie Argus has gone on record stating that there’s still work to do. While praising staff as the airport’s “secret sauce”, she acknowledged that ageing infrastructure and clunky border processes – yep, including those stubborn paper arrival cards – are due for a serious upgrade, especially with Australia preparing to welcome the world for the Brisbane 2032 Olympics.
The good news is, change is already in motion. A hefty $4.5 billion international terminal expansion is in the works, promising more space, smoother passenger flow and room for airlines to grow. From September, travellers will start to see the first visible tweaks, with new pick-up and drop-off zones across Terminals 1, 2 and 3 set to more than double the space for those teary reunions and last-minute goodbyes.
Yes, there might be a few more growing pains as construction ramps up – but if this latest win proves anything, it’s that Melbourne Airport is managing to level up while keeping travellers (mostly) on side.
You can check out the full list of winners over here.
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