The first flight from Melbourne's Tullamarine Airport touched down at Williamtown shortly before midday. The same plane took off for the first flight into the Victorian capital about 30 minutes later.

The near-capacity inbound plane was loaded with mostly family and friends of Hunter residents.

Newcastle Airport CEO Dr Peter Cock said about 180 people had been onboard.

"It was about 95 per cent full," he said.

"Lots of hugs, lots of tears, lots of grandmas greeting new kids. It was really great.

"The first wave of flights will be lots of friends and relatives, family reunion type stuff."

There had not been a commercial passenger flight between Newcastle and Melbourne since mid-July.

Dr Cock said there would be close to four return flights per day between the two destinations over coming weeks.

"It's ramping up," he said.

"Qantas Group are flying double daily, and then triple daily on certain days. Virgin are flying four times a week."

Dr Cock said the resumption of Melbourne flights would be a huge boost for the Hunter's economy, and came less than three weeks after south-east Queensland flights resumed.

He expects the airport's December passenger numbers to be about "60 to 80 per cent" of what they were pre-COVID.

"It's good for tourism and businesses can start operating with confidence," he said.

"The flights happening is one thing, but now as a region and airport, we are putting billboards up in Melbourne to promote travel to the Hunter.

"It's a pretty crowded domestic tourism market because there is no international [travel]. So we can't take anything for granted, we've got to make sure we are out there front and centre."

Dr Cock said the number of people jumping at the chance to travel as flights resumed showed the Hunter was a destination people wanted to visit and the region's residents were keen travellers.

He said it supported the airport's push to upgrade the runway to the standards required for international flights.

"Our catchment wants to fly," he said.

"As soon as flights are available, people wants to come and see what we've got to offer and a lot of people from our region are flying.

"The fact that we bounce back really quickly just supports all the arguments about what would happen if we get international direct traffic."

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