In the previous month, Taylor Swift surpassed Lady Gaga’s record for the most attended concert of the decade. This achievement occurred during her “The Eras” tour in Australia, with the inaugural show held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in Melbourne. As the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere and the 11th largest globally, it boasts a seating capacity exceeding 100,000.

The event attracted a multitude of visitors from around the world to Melbourne, resulting in the city’s airport receiving nearly 1 million international passengers in February. This marked a 39% increase compared to the same period last year and exceeded the previous peak recorded in 2019 prior to the CоVID-19 pаndemic.

Melbourne Airport representatives attributed the surge in passenger numbers to Taylor Swift fans attending her three concerts. In recent months, Melbourne has consistently attracted new airline carriers.

Significantly, this increased demand coincided with an unexpecteԀ cancellation of flights by a prominent Australian airline from the Sunshine Coast to Melbourne. Consequently, the domestic budget airline Bonza had to deploy Boeing 737 Max-8 aircraft to accommodate affected passengers.

Lorie Argus, the CEO of Melbourne Airport, acknowledged that the suԀԀen influx of international passengers highlighted the necessity for infrastructure investments, including constructing a third runway.

“We have allocated $335 million towards a cutting-edge baggage handling system and the enhancement of the terminal precinct. Additionally, plans are underway to introduce an additional runway, ensuring adequate capacity to serve international airlines and potentially leading to reduced ticket prices,” stated the airport representative.