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Of the 2.5 million people who travelled over the festive season, 1.8 million were on domestic flights and 766,439 on international services. December’s total was higher than November’s by 120,000 as major foreign carriers including Qatar Airways and United Airlines continued to increase the number of flights to and from Australia.

The airport had more than 100,000 more take-offs and landings last year than in 2021 but remains about 20 per cent below pre-pandemic levels as some carriers remain cautious about increasing international services too quickly.

Carriers all over the world were scarred by the unrelenting operational problems that plagued the industry for a significant chunk of 2022 as the world’s borders reopened. Airlines struggled to keep up with the demand in the face of stresses which included crippling supply chain issues and surging staff shortages, which culminated in long queues, missed flights, lost bags and extensive delays.

The bulk of consumer frustration around these issues was directed at Australia’s largest carrier, Qantas, which has since returned to pre-pandemic performance metrics. Many global carriers, including Qantas, have since prioritised operational performance over rushing to service every route.

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This may change now that China’s major carriers are beginning to fly all over the world, with industry experts predicting local carriers will move quickly in the face of competition. The return of Chinese carriers is expected to put downward pressure on local airfares, which have rocketed to levels not seen for 15 years due to insufficient supply and the steep cost of jet-fuel. Before COVID-19, Chinese airlines were responsible for about 30 per cent of international capacity out of Australia.

China’s aviation regulator said this week it expected international services to reach 80 per cent of the country’s pre-COVID levels by the end of the year. Australia is unlikely to return to 100 per cent of its 2019 capacity until 2024.

Five of the eight carriers that previously flew to Australia from China have regular services to Melbourne and Sydney airports scheduled from February, with both airports flagging an imminent return of others.

So far, China Eastern, Air China and Sichuan Airlines will begin regular flights to and from Melbourne next month while Xiamen Airlines – the only mainland China carrier which continued to fly to Melbourne throughout the pandemic – will be the first airline to ramp up its existing frequency, with three services to Xiamen beginning next week.