TUI Airways is adding the Republic of Ireland’s capital to its roster of European cities that offer tourist flights to Melbourne Orlando International Airport for Central Florida vacations.
“It was confirmed last night from TUI that next year, in 2025, we’re going to start flying to Dublin, Ireland,” Greg Donovan, airport executive director, said during the April 24 Melbourne Airport Authority meeting.
Further information on TUI’s Dublin-to-Melbourne flights remains pending, airport spokesperson Keely Leggett said.
“While MLB is thrilled with the addition of Dublin service, we have not yet received flight schedules for next season, so we are unable to confirm schedule details at this time,” Leggett said.
This is TUI’s third holiday season operating at the Melbourne airport. The international travel giant flies U.K. travelers to U.S. destinations aboard Boeing 787 Dreamliners via vacation packages. Of note: The airline does not offer tickets for Melbourne passengers to fly to Europe.
Dublin will join TUI’s Melbourne service list of English cities Birmingham, London-Gatwick, Manchester and Newcastle, along with Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Glasgow, Scotland. The bulk of these travelers spend at least part of their Florida vacations in the Orlando area, rather than the Space Coast.
TUI accounts for the vast majority of the Melbourne airport’s international air service, save periodic international general aviation flights, Leggett said. Last year, the airport hosted incoming and outgoing 498,910 domestic passengers, along with 231,472 inbound and outbound international passengers.
Those groups comprised nearly all of the airport’s 2023 total of 747,691 inbound and outbound passengers. That narrowly missed Melbourne’s all-time annual record of 755,723 total passengers in 1990.
Total incoming and departing passengers at the Melbourne airport increased 8.2% during the first quarter of this year. Passenger counts reached 145,119 from Jan. 1 to March 30, up from 134,110 during the same span last year.
TUI kicked off its third season in Melbourne by resuming transatlantic flights on March 18. Seasonal flights will continue through Oct. 26.
“TUI’s flight frequency? It started pretty conservatively this year, just like it has the other two years. I think we were at about six flights per week. It ramps up. It ramps up to 12 flights a week, starting May 2,” Cliff Graham, director of operations and maintenance, said during the MAA meeting.
“Basically, we’ll two TUI flights per day every single day here, except for Wednesday and Friday, starting in May running through October. And those flights are in the afternoon, kind of in a block. And on average, they’re about an hour apart,” Graham said.
Meanwhile, MLB’s aging Taxiway A — or Alpha — is deteriorating and needs to be strengthened to endure the weight of TUI’s Boeing 787 Dreamliners, MAA agenda records show. Airport officials have spent $164,891 repairing Taxiway A to keep it operational until an estimated multi-year, $28 million high-priority reconstruction project kicks off later this year.
David Perley, director of capital improvements, said the MAA may review construction bids by the end of June for tentative approval. Federal Aviation Administration grants may cover 90% of the cost, with the state picking up another 5%.
“Taxiway A has been part of MLB since it became a municipal airport in 1967. It was extended to its current length during NASA’s shuttle program when the airport served as a backup landing site. Taxiway A was last resurfaced in 2009,” Leggett said in an email.
“Like roadways, taxiways require asphalt rehabilitation every 12 to 15 years due to wear from use and the elements. This rehabilitation project was necessitated by the current pavement condition index of the taxiway and will also incorporate lighting and signage enhancements, new pavement markings, drainage and stormwater improvements, and new paved shoulders will be constructed to better meet the needs of the larger, wide body aircraft currently operating at MLB,” she said.
Rick Neale is a Space Reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Neale at Rneale@floridatoday.com. Twitter/X: @RickNeale1
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