Auckland to Cairns (AKL–CNS) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

AKL Airport Page →
2,250 mi airlines charter/private 20/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 8 flights Verified 14m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
✓
→
VA7061cs
VA Virgin Australia
32Q
7:10 AM
NZST TI
9:45 AM
AEST
5h 35m
43%
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
CA5107cs
CA Air China
32Q
7:10 AM
NZST TI
9:45 AM
AEST
5h 35m
49%
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
NZ161+3
NZ Air New Zealand
32Q
7:10 AM
NZST TI
10:45 AM
AEST
5h 35m
63%
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
SQ4207cs
SQ Singapore Airlines
32Q
7:10 AM
NZST TI
10:45 AM
AEST
5h 35m
55%
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
VA7062cs
VA Virgin Australia
32Q
10:55 AM
AEST T1
6:35 PM
NZST
4h 40m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
SQ4205cs
SQ Singapore Airlines
32Q
11:55 AM
AEST T1
6:35 PM
NZST
4h 40m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
CA5108cs
CA Air China
32Q
11:55 AM
AEST T1
6:35 PM
NZST
4h 40m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
NZ162+3
NZ Air New Zealand
32N
11:55 AM
AEST T1
6:35 PM
NZST
4h 40m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
BNE Brisbane 7h 10m 6EACAY → 6EACCX Brisbane (BNE) to Cairns flights
SYD Sydney (Mascot) 7h 45m 6EAIAS → 6EACAI Sydney (Mascot) (SYD) to Cairns flights
MEL Melbourne 8h 20m 6EAIAY → 6EAICX Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns flights
CHC Christchurch 8h 40m BRCAEK → JQQF Christchurch (CHC) to Cairns flights
OOL Gold Coast 9h 45m JQNZQF → 6EJQQF Gold Coast (OOL) to Cairns flights
MCY Maroochydore 9h 50m JQNZQF → JQ Maroochydore (MCY) to Cairns flights
PER Perth 13h 30m CAEKEY → JQ Perth (PER) to Cairns flights
ADL Adelaide 18h 8m B6CANZ → 6EEKJQ Adelaide (ADL) to Cairns flights
SIN Singapore 19h 5m AIETLX → AILXNH Singapore (SIN) to Cairns flights
NAN Nadi 19h 35m CXFJNZ → FJ Nadi (NAN) to Cairns flights
✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Auckland to Cairns
1 carrier, 20 flights/week nonstop.
1 Airlines 2,250 mi 5h 35m nonstop -2h behind

AKL–CNS is served by 1 airline with nonstop service. Air New Zealand leads the route. The flight covers 2,250 miles in approximately 5h 35m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Also explore AKL Routes CNS Routes AKL Live Flights CNS Live Flights
All flights from Cairns (CNS) Cairns to Auckland flights
Carriers on this route

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop AKL–CNS service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
NZ Air New Zealand Also: CA, SQ, VA 5 32Q 5h35 – Star Alliance CA, SQ, VA
Aircraft on this route
32Q Airbus A321neo – CA, NZ, SQ, VA
Alliance coverage
Star Alliance: NZ (5 flights/wk, 100%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.
Schedule

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, AKL to CNS direction.
Mon
4
flights
Tue
4
flights
Wed
0
flights
Thu
4
flights
Fri
0
flights
Sat
4
flights
Sun
4
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
4
Nonstop flights
20
Outbound / wk
20
Return / wk
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for AKL to CNS.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
12
Hubs
~7h
Fastest
~20h
Longest
BNE ~7h 10m SYD ~7h 45m MEL ~8h 20m CHC ~8h 40m OOL ~9h 45m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
263
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.
Know before you go

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-2h
Cairns is 2 hours behind Auckland.
AKL: NZST · CNS: AEST

When it's 6:00 PM in Auckland, it's 4:00 PM in Cairns.
Distance & Flight Time
2,250 mi / 3,620 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 5h 35m gate to gate.
Facts

AKL–CNS Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Auckland to Cairns route.
Route details
Distance2,250 mi / 3,620 km
Flight time5h 35m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)1
Weekly flights20 out / 20 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: AKL
Full nameAuckland International Airport
IATA / ICAOAKL / NZAA
TimezonePacific/Auckland
Passengers/yr18.7M
Elevation23 ft / 7 m
Destination: CNS
Full nameCairns International Airport
IATA / ICAOCNS / YBCS
TimezoneAustralia/Brisbane
Passengers/yr5.0M
Elevation10 ft / 3 m
FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about AKL to CNS flights.
Nonstop flights from Auckland International Airport to Cairns International Airport take about 5h 35m gate to gate. The route covers 2,250 miles.
1 airline operates flights from AKL to CNS: Air New Zealand.
This route has daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include Brisbane, Sydney Kingsford Smith and Melbourne.
Cairns is 2 hours behind Auckland.
Yes, return flights from CNS to AKL are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from AKL to CNS

Auckland International Airport (AKL) and Cairns International Airport (CNS) are connected by nonstop service from Air New Zealand. With 20 weekly departures, this is a well served route.

AKL to CNS Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from AKL to CNS is about 5 hours 35 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 2,250 miles (3,620 km). There are approximately 20 weekly flights outbound and 20 return, totaling 40 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Brisbane, Sydney Kingsford Smith and Melbourne. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.