Darwin to Cairns (DRW–CNS) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

DRW Airport Page →
1,040 mi airlines charter/private 11/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 4 flights Verified 6m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
✓
→
QF1889
QF Qant
E90
7:00 AM
ACST
10:00 AM
AEST
2h 30m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
→
QF1853
QF Qant
E90
5:35 PM
ACST
8:35 PM
AEST
2h 30m
—
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
QF1980
QF Qant
E90
10:45 AM
AEST T2
12:55 PM
ACST
2h 40m
76%
M T W T F S S
Prices
✓
←
QF1852
QF Qant
E90
2:40 PM
AEST T2
4:50 PM
ACST
2h 40m
76%
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
TSV Townsville 6h 10m QF → NZQFQN Townsville (TSV) to Cairns flights
BNE Brisbane 7h CXCZEK → 6EACCX Brisbane (BNE) to Cairns flights
ADL Adelaide 7h 40m 6EEKJQ → 6EEKJQ Adelaide (ADL) to Cairns flights
MEL Melbourne 8h 40m 6EAICX → 6EAICX Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns flights
SYD Sydney (Mascot) 8h 55m 6EASJL → 6EACAI Sydney (Mascot) (SYD) to Cairns flights
ASP Alice Springs 9h 15m QF → QFTL Alice Springs (ASP) to Cairns flights
SIN Singapore 14h 40m AIAYEK → AILXNH Singapore (SIN) to Cairns flights
DPS Kuta, Badung 16h 35m 6EJQKL → JQ Kuta, Badung (DPS) to Cairns flights
PER Perth 25h 8m CXEKQF → JQ Perth (PER) to Cairns flights
GOV Nhulunbuy ~4h 30m QFTL → QFTL Nhulunbuy (GOV) to Cairns flights
✦ 1-STOP More options, longer trips
✧ 2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Darwin to Cairns
2 carriers, 11 flights/week nonstop.
2 Airlines 1,040 mi 2h 30m nonstop +0.5h ahead

DRW–CNS is served by 2 airlines with nonstop service. Qantas and Fiji Airways lead the route. The flight covers 1,040 miles in approximately 2h 30m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

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

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop DRW–CNS service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
QF Qantas 11 E90 2h30 – Oneworld –
FJ Fiji Airways 0 – – – Oneworld –
Aircraft on this route
E90 Embraer 190 – QF
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: FJ + QF (11 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, DRW to CNS direction.
Mon
2
flights
Tue
1
flight
Wed
2
flights
Thu
1
flight
Fri
2
flights
Sat
2
flights
Sun
1
flight
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
2
Nonstop flights
11
Outbound / wk
11
Return / wk
Connections

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for DRW to CNS.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
10
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~25h
Longest
GOV ~4h 30m TSV ~6h 10m BNE ~7h 0m ADL ~7h 40m MEL ~8h 40m
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
117
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
+0.5h
Cairns is 0.5 hours ahead of Darwin.
DRW: ACST · CNS: AEST

When it's 6:00 PM in Darwin, it's 6.5:00 PM in Cairns.
Distance & Flight Time
1,040 mi / 1,674 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 2h 30m gate to gate.
Facts

DRW–CNS Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Darwin to Cairns route.
Route details
Distance1,040 mi / 1,674 km
Flight time2h 30m
Time difference+0.5 hours
Airlines (nonstop)2
Weekly flights11 out / 11 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: DRW
Full nameDarwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin
IATA / ICAODRW / YPDN
TimezoneAustralia/Darwin
Passengers/yr1.8M
Elevation103 ft / 31 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 DRW to CNS flights.
Nonstop flights from Darwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin to Cairns International Airport take about 2h 30m gate to gate. The route covers 1,040 miles.
2 airlines operate flights from DRW to CNS: Qantas and Fiji Airways.
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 Townsville, Brisbane and Adelaide.
Cairns is 0.5 hours ahead of Darwin.
Yes, return flights from CNS to DRW 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 DRW to CNS

Darwin International Airport / RAAF Darwin (DRW) and Cairns International Airport (CNS) are connected by nonstop service from Qantas and Fiji Airways. With 11 weekly departures, this is a regularly served route.

DRW to CNS Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from DRW to CNS is about 2 hours 30 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,040 miles (1,674 km). There are approximately 11 weekly flights outbound and 11 return, totaling 22 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via Townsville, Brisbane and Adelaide. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs.