Melbourne Airport completes biggest int’l airfield expansion: Taxiway Delta

Melbourne Airport (MEL) has announced that Taxiway Delta, its largest international airfield expansion in almost a decade, is finally complete.

The 800-meter Taxiway Delta is the airport’s first major taxiway development since the pandemic, and is expected to help reduce delays by reducing aircraft congestion on the airfield.

Construction of the airfield expansion took almost 11 months, and according to the airport, is the first step in enabling the expansion of its international Terminal 2.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Melbourne Airport Official (@melbourneairportau)

The airport shared that, In order to make way for Delta Taxiway, more than 90 olympic-sized swimming pools of dirt and concrete had to be excavated, in addition to the pouring of more than 43,000 cubic meters of concrete pavement, which is twice the size of the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

“Expanding an airport in a 24/7 environment is akin to playing Tetris, each piece of the puzzle has an impact on the other, which is why the sequencing of our works takes years of planning to get right,” Melbourne Airport Chief of Aviation Jim Parashos said, adding that the taxiway was an essential piece of the international terminal expansion plans.

“Anyone that has come through our international terminal during peak times would know we simply don’t have enough space to cater for our growing passenger volumes, so it’s imperative we work hard to complete our terminal expansion plans and deliver a better experience for our passengers,” Parashos stated.

Parashos also noted that the completion of Taxiway Delta will enable the airport to shift operations “further north”, allowing space to expand the entire international terminal.

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