Townsville to Cairns (TSV–CNS) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

TSV Airport Page →
177 mi airlines charter/private 45/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 23 flights Verified 4m ago
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
NZ7307cs
NZ Air New Zealand
DH4
7:00 AM
AEST
8:00 AM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2346+1
QF Qant
DH4
7:00 AM
AEST
8:00 AM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF7321
QF Qant
32X
7:20 AM
AEST
8:05 AM
AEST
0h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
ZL5424
ZL Regional Express
SF3
10:05 AM
AEST
11:10 AM
AEST
1h 5m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2350
QF Qant
DH4
10:20 AM
AEST
11:20 AM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2344
QF Qant
DH4
11:50 AM
AEST
12:50 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QN712
QN Skytrans Australia
DH1
12:35 PM
AEST
1:30 PM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2354+1
QF Qant
DH4
1:00 PM
AEST
2:00 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2370
QF Qant
DH4
2:55 PM
AEST
3:55 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QN795
QN Skytrans Australia
DH3
3:10 PM
AEST
4:10 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2352+1
QF Qant
DH4
5:40 PM
AEST
6:40 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2358+1
QF Qant
DH4
6:35 PM
AEST
7:35 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2348+1
QF Qant
DH4
7:20 PM
AEST
8:20 PM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
NZ7316cs
NZ Air New Zealand
DH4
6:45 AM
AEST T2
7:40 AM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2355+1
QF Qant
DH4
6:45 AM
AEST T2
7:40 AM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2347
QF Qant
DH4
8:00 AM
AEST T2
8:55 AM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QN711
QN Skytrans Australia
DH1
8:00 AM
AEST T2
9:00 AM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
ZL5423
ZL Regional Express
SF3
8:05 AM
AEST T2
9:05 AM
AEST
1h
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2349+1
QF Qant
DH4
11:00 AM
AEST T2
11:55 AM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2357+1
QF Qant
DH4
2:55 PM
AEST T2
3:50 PM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2351+1
QF Qant
DH4
6:00 PM
AEST T2
6:55 PM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QF2359
QF Qant
DH4
7:05 PM
AEST T2
8:00 PM
AEST
0h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
QN796
QN Skytrans Australia
DH3
9:05 PM
AEST T2
10:00 PM
AEST
0h 55m
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 9 hubs
BNE Brisbane 5h 10m ACCXCZ 6EACCX Brisbane (BNE) to Cairns flights
SYD Sydney (Mascot) 6h 44m JQQF 6EACAI Sydney (Mascot) (SYD) to Cairns flights
MEL Melbourne 7h 42m JQQF 6EAICX Melbourne (MEL) to Cairns flights
CNJ Cloncurry 8h 50m QFQQ QQ Cloncurry (CNJ) to Cairns flights
ISA Mount Isa 13h 35m QF ZL Mount Isa (ISA) to Cairns flights
OOL Gold Coast 16h 5m VA 6EJQQF Gold Coast (OOL) to Cairns flights
DRW Darwin 23h QF QF Darwin (DRW) to Cairns flights
MCY Maroochydore 27h 20m VA JQ Maroochydore (MCY) to Cairns flights
HID Horn ~6h QF Horn (HID) to Cairns flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Townsville to Cairns
3 carriers, 45 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 177 mi 1h nonstop

TSV–CNS is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. Qantas, Skytrans Australia and Regional Express lead the route. The flight covers 177 miles in approximately 1h. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop TSV–CNS service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
QF Qantas Also: NZ 35 32X, DH4 0h45-1h Oneworld NZ
QN Skytrans Australia 3 DH1, DH3 0h55-1h
ZL Regional Express 1 SF3 1h05
Aircraft on this route
32X Airbus A320 (Sharklets) – QF
DH1 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-100 Dash 8 / 8Q – QN
DH3 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-300 Dash 8 – QN
DH4 De Havilland Canada DHC-8-400 Dash 8Q – NZ, QF
SF3 Saab SF340A/B – ZL
Alliance coverage
Oneworld: QF (35 flights/wk, 90%)
Unaffiliated: QN + ZL (4 flights/wk, 10%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, TSV to CNS direction.
Mon
5
flights
Tue
6
flights
Wed
9
flights
Thu
8
flights
Fri
8
flights
Sat
5
flights
Sun
4
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
13
Nonstop flights
45
Outbound / wk
37
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for TSV to CNS.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
9
Hubs
~5h
Fastest
~27h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
65
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.

Other ways to reach Cairns from Townsville

Nearby airports with service to Cairns International Airport.
Metric TSV→CNS PPP→CNS
Distance from TSV 144 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 2
Weekly flights 45 8
Flight time 1h 1h 25m
Airports within 200 miles of TSV with service to Cairns International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
0h
Cairns is 0 hours the same as Townsville.
TSV: AEST · CNS: AEST

When it's 6:00 PM in Townsville, it's 6:00 PM in Cairns.
Distance & Flight Time
177 mi / 285 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 1h 0m gate to gate.

TSV–CNS Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Townsville to Cairns route.
Route details
Distance177 mi / 285 km
Flight time1h
Time difference0 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights45 out / 37 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
Origin: TSV
IATA / ICAOTSV / YBTL
TimezoneAustralia/Brisbane
Elevation18 ft / 5 m
Destination: CNS
IATA / ICAOCNS / YBCS
TimezoneAustralia/Brisbane
Passengers/yr5.0M
Elevation10 ft / 3 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about TSV to CNS flights.
Nonstop flights from Townsville Airport / RAAF Base Townsville to Cairns International Airport take about 1h gate to gate. The route covers 177 miles.
3 airlines operate flights from TSV to CNS: Qantas, Skytrans Australia and Regional Express.
This route has frequent 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.
Yes, return flights from CNS to TSV are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include PPP. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
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 TSV to CNS

Townsville Airport / RAAF Base Townsville (TSV) and Cairns International Airport (CNS) are connected by nonstop service from Qantas, Skytrans Australia and Regional Express. With 45 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

TSV to CNS Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from TSV to CNS is about 1 hours gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 177 miles (285 km). There are approximately 45 weekly flights outbound and 37 return, totaling 82 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. Nearby alternative airports include Proserpine (PPP).