Mildura Airport Statistics

Mildura Airport (MQL) is Victoria's busiest regional airport and the primary gateway for the Sunraysia region in northwest Victoria, connecting the area to major Australian cities through multiple domestic carriers.

Mildura Airport processes over 180,000 passengers annually.

• The airport served 187,595 passengers in 2025, representing a 10.4% decrease from 209,342 in 2024.
• The airport processed 241,056 passengers in 2019 before the pandemic.
• Passenger traffic fell to 61,462 in 2020 (a 74.5% decline from 2019) due to COVID-19 travel restrictions.
• Recovery gained momentum in 2022 with 167,622 passengers, followed by 220,758 in 2023.

Two regional carriers lead operations at Mildura Airport, with competition between QantasLink and Rex (Regional Express) defining the market after Virgin Australia's 2020 exit.

• QantasLink is the leading carrier, flying Dash 8 Q400 turboprops on both Melbourne and Sydney routes.
• Rex (Regional Express) has a significant presence, operating Saab 340 turboprops primarily on the Melbourne route.¹

The airport offers only domestic routes within Australia and no international service.

• Mildura Airport currently has two scheduled domestic passenger routes: Melbourne and Sydney.
• The main route is Mildura-Melbourne, served by both QantasLink/Qantas and Rex, with multiple daily flights.
• BITRE data shows Melbourne-Mildura accounted for about 75% of Mildura’s RPT passenger movements in FY2024 and about 80% in FY2025, so it is clearly the dominant route.
• The Mildura–Sydney route is operated by QantasLink/Qantas using Dash 8 Q400 aircraft.

• At Mildura Airport, overall on-time performance was 74.4% for arrivals and 76.8% for departures on BITRE-reported routes.
• Rex Airlines had the best arrival and departure punctuality, with 77.4% of arrivals on time and 78.3% of departures on time.

• Morning fog conditions, particularly in winter months, can delay or occasionally cause diversions, as highlighted by the notable June 2013 incident when two B737s had to land below weather minima.
• Extreme heat during summer, with temperatures reaching 45°C, though the 2019 runway extension mitigated most heat-related weight restrictions.
• Upstream delays from Melbourne or Sydney, where air traffic control issues or weather at these hub airports impact connecting aircraft arriving at Mildura.
• Thunderstorms, which can cause temporary flight holds or delays during severe weather events.
• Airline operational issues including crew scheduling and aircraft positioning, particularly during the 2022-2023 period of industry-wide staffing constraints.