Public transport

The Skybus Super Shuttle service is the main public transport link to the airport, taking approximately 20 minutes to reach Southern Cross Station in the Melbourne central business district. From Southern Cross, travellers can access V/Line regional and Metro Trains Melbourne suburban trains, Yarra Trams and interstate train and bus services.

There are four local bus services to Melbourne Airport.

478
 Moonee Ponds - Melbourne Airport via Essendon RS, Airport West Shoppingtown, Tullamarine

Bus service operating Monday to Friday (peak), Saturday to Sunday by Tullamarine Bus Lines
 
479
 Moonee Ponds - Sunbury RS via Essendon RS, Airport West Shoppingtown, Melbourne Airport, City (weekends only)

Bus service operating every day by Tullamarine Bus Lines
 
500
 Broadmeadows - Sunbury via Westmeadows, Gladstone Park, Melbourne Airport, Sunbury RS

Bus service operating Monday to Friday by Tullamarine Bus Lines
 
901
 Frankston - Melbourne Airport via Dandenong, Knox City SC, Ringwood, Greensborough, South Morang, Broadmeadows

SmartBus service operating every day by Grenda's Bus Services, East West Bus Company, Tullamarine Bus Lines and Invicta Bus Services
 

There are nine other bus companies serving the airport, with services to Ballarat, Bendigo, Dandenong, Frankston, Mornington Peninsula, Geelong, Melbourne's suburbs, Shepparton and the Riverina. These negate the need to transfer onto V/Line services.

Rail link

The possibility of installing a rail link from what was known as the Broadmeadows (now the Craigieburn Suburban Line) to the airport was debated in the 1960s, but little progress was made.

The rail link was an Australian Labor Party 1999 Victorian Election promise.

In 2001, the state government investigated the construction of a heavy rail link to the airport under the Linking Victoria programme. Two options were considered; the first branched off the Craigieburn Suburban Line to the east, and the second branched off the Albion Goods Line, which passes close to the airport's boundary to the south. The second option was preferred. Market research concluded most passengers preferred traveling to the airport by taxi or car, and poor patronage of similar links in Sydney and Brisbane cast doubt on the viability of the project. This led to the project being deferred until at least 2012. On 21 July 2008, the Premier of Victoria reaffirmed the government's commitment to a rail link and said that it would be considered within three to five years. To maximise future development options, the airport is lobbying for the on-grounds section of the railway to be underground.

In 2010, new public transport minister announced that the rail link had been taken off the agenda with new freeway options being explored instead.