Airport gate intelligence · MEL
How many gates does Melbourne Airport (MEL) have?
Melbourne Airport (MEL) has 67 gates, with about 319 airline departures a day. Virgin Australia has the most (16), followed by Qantas (15).
Virgin Australia flies 33% of the 41,971 seats leaving MEL each day. Virgin Australia has 7% more gates and 12% more seats than Qantas. 15 gates are common use, shared by several airlines.
Gates, seats and flights by airline at MEL
| Airline | Gates held | Departures a day | Seats out a day | Share of seats | Seats per departure | Regional jets | Median turn | Tows a week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virgin Australia | 16 | 82 | 13,949 | 33% | 177 | 0% | 67 min | 0 |
| Qantas | 15 | 106 | 12,433 | 30% | 185 | 16% | 65 min | 0 |
| Jetstar | 12 | 67 | 11,234 | 27% | 197 | 0% | 61 min | 0 |
| Singapore Airlines | – | 5 | 1,029 | 2% | 324 | 0% | 120 min | 0 |
| Emirates | – | 2 | 978 | 2% | 489 | 0% | 346 min | 0 |
| Air New Zealand | – | 6 | 776 | 2% | 264 | 0% | 81 min | 0 |
| Scoot | – | 2 | 618 | 1% | 375 | 0% | 91 min | 0 |
| Cathay Pacific | – | 3 | 608 | 1% | 295 | 0% | 103 min | 0 |
| HJ | – | 1 | 0 | 0% | – | 0% | – | 0 |
| TF | – | 2 | 0 | 0% | – | 0% | 40 min | 0 |
| Common use (shared) | 15 | |||||||
Average of 17 full days, Oct 5 to Oct 21, 2026. Gates held = the airline flying the gate most (regional partners count as their brand); 9 gates saw few or no flights (not in use or under repair). Seats are capacity, from each airline’s seat map per aircraft type; 32% of flights have no seat count yet.
What size aircraft MEL’s gates handle
Gates by the largest aircraft seen there at least twice. A gate that takes a wide-body also takes anything smaller.
Airlines at MEL: terminals, gates and nonstop routes
Other airlines
Regular flights, but no MEL gate listed in the flight data, so not on the map: TF (69 flights to Adelaide, Brisbane and Launceston); HJ (31 flights to Auckland, Hong Kong and Sydney); Polynesian (26 flights to Auckland and Brisbane); AN (13 flights to BWU and Melbourne); JG (11 flights); MIAT (8 flights to BWU and Melbourne); Avianca Costa Rica (6 flights to Brisbane).
Seen on only one of the full days collected (charters and occasional flights): Air Travel (3 flights); YU (2 flights to Sydney); AB (2 flights); AW (2 flights to Brisbane); CC (2 flights to Hong Kong); TransNusa (2 flights to Bali (Denpasar)); QE (1 flight to Hong Kong); Myanmar National (1 flight to Coolangatta); Air Seychelles (1 flight); Finnair (1 flight to Bangkok).
Ask the AI analyst about MEL
Enterprise partners ask questions in plain English and get weekly written briefings on every gate at MEL: what changed, why, and what to do about it.
MEL gate questions
How many gates does Melbourne Airport (MEL) have?
Melbourne Airport (MEL) has 67 gates, with about 319 airline departures a day. Virgin Australia has the most (16), followed by Qantas (15).
Which airline has the most gates at Melbourne Airport (MEL)?
Virgin Australia, with 16 of the 67 gates at MEL (the airline flying each gate most; regional partners count as their brand).
How many flights a day leave Melbourne Airport (MEL)?
About 319 airline departures a day (Oct 5 to Oct 21, 2026).
Which terminal is Virgin Australia in at MEL?
Virgin Australia flies from Terminal 3 and Terminal 2 at Melbourne Airport (MEL).
Which gates at Melbourne Airport (MEL) are bus gates?
9 gates at MEL are bus gates: 2-15B, 4-12, 4-16, 4-17, 4-19, 4-20, 4-31, 4-32, 18. A bus gate has no jet bridge: passengers board a bus at the gate, and it drives them out to the plane parked on the ramp. About 20 departures a day (6% of all departures at MEL) board this way (Oct 5 to Oct 21, 2026).
How many gates does Virgin Australia have at MEL?
16 gates, with about 82 departures and 13,949 seats a day.
How many gates does Qantas have at MEL?
15 gates, with about 106 departures and 12,433 seats a day.
How many gates does Jetstar have at MEL?
12 gates, with about 67 departures and 11,234 seats a day.
How many seats leave MEL each day?
About 41,971 seats on 319 airline departures a day (average of 17 full days, Oct 5 to Oct 21, 2026).
What is the typical turn time at MEL?
71 minutes at the gate from arrival to departure (median of every turn measured).
How many aircraft tows happen at MEL?
About 0 tows a week: a plane that arrives at one gate and leaves from another was towed between them. Planes we didn't see arrive aren't counted.