Aussie international flights fullest from Melbourne

International passengers using Australia’s major airports had the greatest chance of being on a full flight if they were going through Melbourne airport in 2018-19, a new analysis has found. A report on international airline activity over the year by the Bureau of Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Economics found Melbourne edged out Sydney when it came to the highest percentage of seats filled by passengers. It wasn’t a big difference  — 81.7 percent at Melbourne versus 81.3 percent at Sydney — but neither airport boasted the country with the highest seat ulilization on a non-stop route. That mantle fell to Perth where the Qantas non-stop flight to London made the UK a clear leader at 93 percent, well ahead of second-place holder Japan at 84.3 percent. They were followed by Singapore (83.5 percent), the us (83.3 percent) and Thailand (83.1 percent). READ: Cathay A350-1000 debuts in Australia The Solomon Islands and New Guinea were among the destinations where travelers were most likely to find a spare seat next to them with seat utilization to both countries below 60 percent. Adelaide was the major airport with the lowest seat utilization at 78.4 percent with Perth and Brisbane at 78.8 percent and the Gold coast at 79.4 percent. Sixty-three scheduled international airlines operated to and from Australia in 2018-19 with passenger numbers rising 3.7 percent to 42.12 million. The number of available seats also rose, but by a slower 1.8 percent to 53.86 million. March proved a significant month and marked the first time since 2011 that monthly passenger traffic fell compared to the same month in the previous year. Qantas Airways remained the dominant force with a market share of 17.4 percent followed by Jetstar with 8.6 percent. Singapore Airlines (8.2 percent) came next, followed by Emirates (7.3 percent) and Air New Zealand (6.8 percent). Australian designated airlines accounted for 32.5 percent of the market after reaching a low of 29.8 percent in 2013-14.