Yes, Melbourne Tullamarine Airport (MEL) has designated outdoor smoking areas on the terminal forecourt. You will find them on the kerbside outside Terminals 2, 3 and 4, set back from the marked smoke-free areas at the entrances. All four terminals are smoke-free indoors, and MEL has no airside smoking areas, so plan your last cigarette before you clear security.
Smoking Areas at Melbourne Airport
Melbourne Airport runs four terminals in one connected complex: T1 (Qantas domestic), T2 (international), T3 (Virgin Australia domestic) and T4 (Jetstar, Rex and Link Airways regional). Smoking is banned inside every terminal building under Victorian and Commonwealth law, and there are no smoking rooms or airside areas anywhere in the complex. The only place to light up is outdoors, on the forecourt kerbside next to the terminals.
The airport marks smoke-free areas at the arrivals and departures entrances of T2, T3 and T4 with clear signage. Its own policy also asks smokers to stay at least 8 metres from any doorway and 10 metres from ventilation intakes, so step well clear of the buildings before lighting up.
Terminal Layout:
| Terminal | Airlines | Smoking Access |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Qantas domestic | Outdoor forecourt (landside) |
| T2 | International | Outdoor forecourt (landside) |
| T3 | Virgin Australia domestic | Outdoor forecourt (landside) |
| T4 | Jetstar, Rex, Link Airways | Outdoor forecourt (landside) |
Terminals 2, 3 and 4 (International and Domestic)
The passenger smoking areas sit in the forecourt directly outside Terminals 2, 3 and 4, on both the arrivals (ground) and departures levels. T2 is the international terminal in the centre of the complex, with T3 and T4 alongside it, so the outdoor areas are within a short walk of one another. At each entrance, look for the signed smoke-free areas and move away from them — the designated smoking spots are on the kerbside, clear of the doors.
These areas are limited and mostly uncovered, with little or no seating, so they offer little shelter in Melbourne’s changeable weather. Because the terminals adjoin each other, you can reach an outdoor spot from any of the three without a long walk. Give yourself a few minutes after clearing the doors, as the setback from entrances and vents means the designated area may be a short distance from where you exit.
Terminal 1 (Qantas Domestic)
Terminal 1 handles Qantas domestic flights and shares the same connected forecourt as the rest of the complex. Smoking is not permitted anywhere inside T1, and the entrances must be kept clear. Qantas passengers should use the outdoor forecourt area on the kerbside, away from the doorways, and finish before passing through security — there is no way back out to the forecourt once you are airside. For a domestic connection through T1 that needs a smoke break, you would have to leave the secure area, smoke outside, and pass back through screening, so build in extra time.
Transit and Connecting Passengers
Melbourne Airport states that it is unable to provide smoking areas for transiting passengers, since every smoking area sits on the landside forecourt. Reaching one during an international connection depends on your travel documents. Eligible passengers may clear immigration and use the forecourt areas; confirm entry, baggage and connection requirements with the airline. Travellers who stay in the transit area have no smoking access there, so the last cigarette before the inbound flight is the one that counts.
The same geography applies to domestic connections. With every smoking area on the landside forecourt, a smoke break means leaving the secure zone and passing back through screening, so build in extra time.
Vaping and E-Cigarettes
Vaping follows the same rule as smoking at Melbourne Airport. E-cigarettes are not permitted inside any terminal building and may only be used in the external designated smoking areas outside the terminals, on the kerbside forecourt alongside the smokers.
For Australia airport smoking rules, the vape rules, and other general info, see our Australia smoking guide.