Bye-bye Sydney transit: Melbourne Airport's $4.5b makeover to unlock brand-new direct flights

The direct line to the world is about to get a whole lot shorter for travellers in one major Australian city.

On the heels of Qantas's nonstop Sydney-to-London route announcement, a massive $4.5 billion upgrade at Melbourne Airport is set to supercharge Victorian travel.

Brand-new international routes, faster check-ins, state-of-the-art bag tracking and a sprawling Qantas lounge will mean less time wading through airport chaos and more time exploring the globe.

Qantas has signed a 15-year agreement with Melbourne Airport to support a third runway. And while this won't be operational until 2031, it's a huge vote of confidence in the southern airport - and its travelling public.

Melbourne Airport's international terminal upgrade will offer a more streamlined check-in experience with premium check-in areas, and automated bag drop and bag tracking - including an early baggage storage facility.

But perhaps most exciting for southern travellers is Qantas's decision to base several long-haul Airbus A350-1000LRs in Melbourne, which will enable the airline to operate flights to "new international destinations," it said.

While these are "in addition" to the Project Sunrise ultra-long-range aircraft, they will unlock "a range of new destinations that aren't possible today," says Qantas Group Chief Financial Officer, Rob Marcolina.

Qantas hasn't announced which new routes will be on offer, but the Airbus A350-1000LRs would have the range to fly nonstop to North American hubs Seattle, San Francisco and Vancouver - none of which are offered now.

Other nonstop possibilities could include Santiago in South America and Johannesburg in South Africa.

A route to Tokyo, Haneda (currently only Narita is serviced from Melbourne), and Qantas planes flying to Dubai (currently only offered on codeshare through Emirates) and Doha (at the moment to exclusive to Virgin and Qatar) could also be possible.

And with Melbourne's recent starring role in Qantas' Project Sunrise test flight - with the Airbus A350-1000ULR landing there after a direct 19-hour flight from Toulouse, France - the airport's physical capability to handle direct ultra-long-haul flights has been proven. Could it be next after Sydney for direct London and New York flights?

Beyond the addition of more flights, there is plenty of other good news for passengers in this upgrade.

Justin Brownjohn, Senior Manager at the RMIT Aviation Academy, said while Melbourne was already an early adopter of revised security screening practices - leaving laptops and liquids in bags - further check-in improvements were likely.

"The industry is moving more towards self check-in practices," Brownjohn told Explore.

"[Melbourne] Tullamarine already has a number of zones for self bag drop, this is likely to expand which could allow more airlines to check-in simultaneously with the introduction of Common User Self Service Terminals."

Dr Oleksandra Molloy, Senior Lecturer in Aviation at the University of New South Wales (Canberra), said the investment will improve the passenger experience from the moment people arrive at the terminal, with faster processing, better facilities and reduced congestion.

She also said the 15-year deal with Qantas would lead to more competition.

"More Qantas capacity out of Melbourne puts pressure on other carriers to match or better their offering. That is good for fares, good for schedules and good for passengers," Molloy told Explore.

She said the greater route diversity would lead to reduced dependency on Sydney transits.

"For Victorian travellers, the biggest benefit is greater access to international destinations directly from Melbourne rather than connecting via Sydney or overseas hubs," Molloy said.

She said the expansion and third runway would also provide "a stronger chance of attracting new international services" to Melbourne.