In the depths of COVID, two images best highlighted how devastated the aviation industry had become. One was the acres of aircraft parked on airport taxiways or in the desert, while the other was of cavernous airport halls utterly devoid of human activity.

There were plenty of those pictures taken of Melbourne Airport, but today the images are of a bustling terminal, runways busy with international and domestic traffic and Chinese airlines back in droves. Across town, Melbourne's second gateway at Avalon Airport is also bouncing back to life, with Australia's newest carrier Bonza set to debut there next week.

The numbers paint the picture

Aviation is a numbers game; nothing defines an airport more than how many passengers pass through its gates. In January, 2.707 million passengers were processed at Melbourne International Airport (MEL), the highest number since January 2020 and double those from the first month of 2022. The contrasts are dramatic, with January numbers in 2019 at 3.29 million, 2021 at 0.65 million, 2022 at 1.24 million and this year at 2.71 million showing how big the recovery task has been.

However, the future is far brighter, particularly now that Australia's most lucrative tourism market, China, is sending full aircraft back down under, with six major Chinese carriers, including China Southern, China Eastern and Air China, now flying to Melbourne Airport. The sixth to resume was Capital Airlines, with its first flight, JD641, landing yesterday morning in Melbourne. The Capital Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration B-8679 and MSN 1763, departed Qingdao International Airport (TAO) on Tuesday at 19:13 and took 11:29 hours to fly to Melbourne, touching down at 09:41 yesterday.

International traffic is key to recovery

With domestic travel back in full swing in Australia, it's the resumption of international services that will propel airports back to pre-COVID levels. In January, Melbourne Airport processed a post-pandemic high of 818,500 international passengers, with 442,000 arrivals and 376,500 departures. CEO Lorrie Argus commented that the extra Chinese connections would help support Victoria's valuable education and agricultural export industries. She added:

"To have six mainland Chinese carriers resume flights to Melbourne in just a few weeks is a huge testament to the importance they place on our city and the confidence they have in our market. Most international flights into Melbourne have been arriving close to full, which suggests international students are returning alongside tourists and family visitors."

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A Bonza recovery at Avalon

Melbourne's second international and domestic gateway, Avalon Airport (AVV), also took a severe hit during COVID. However, next Tuesday marks a new beginning as Australia's latest low-cost carrier (LCC), Bonza, arrives on its maiden flight to Victoria. If the inaugural flight to Whitsunday Airport on January 31st was anything to go by, Avalon's terminal will be enveloped in a sea of purple as passengers, including CEO Tim Jordan, are welcomed to Melbourne.

Operating as flight AB 569, one of the brand-new Bonza Boeing 737 MAX 8s will depart the Sunshine Coast at 09:25 on a 2:35 hour flight to Melbourne Avalon, due to land at 13:00. Assuming the festivities and ceremonial cake eating don't delay things; the 737 MAX will leave Avalon at 15:00 and arrive back at Sunshine Coast Airport (MCY) at 16:30.

What makes this an extra special day is that Bonza will be the first new domestic airline to land in Victoria in 16 years. It will also be the first time an Australian-operated Boeing 737 MAX commercial flight has touched down in Melbourne, bringing the noticeably comfortable and reduced-emission airplane within reach of Victorians. The schedule shows it will initially be a twice-weekly service, moving to three times a week from mid-March, when it will run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday.

Are you excited to see the 737 MAX 8 in Melbourne and more flights at Avalon? Let us know in the comment section.