$293 Find Cheap Flights from Darwin to Cairns – Compare and Save

Only Qantas Airways operates flights between Darwin and Cairns.

Flights from Darwin to Cairns usually depart from Darwin (DRW) and arrive at Cairns (CNS).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• Qantas Airways: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy class
• Airnorth: a checked bag in Economy class class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route, and airline, so travellers should check the fare details before booking.

Only Economy class is available on flights from Darwin to Cairns.

On this route, stopover flights are cheaper than direct options on average. Stopover fares average $655 return via Nhulunbuy Gove (GOV), compared with $794 for direct.

The Embraer 190 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by Qantas Airways and Airnorth. Other aircraft seen on the route include Embraer 170 / 175 / 190 / 195 variants.

One-stop flights from Darwin to Cairns most commonly connect through:

• Nhulunbuy Gove (GOV) – 71% of one-stop connections
• Brisbane (BNE) – 28% of one-stop connections
• Melbourne (MEL) – 2% of one-stop connections

Nhulunbuy Gove (GOV) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

Yes. Being flexible with your travel dates can save you up to 25% on the Darwin to Cairns route. Thursday is the cheapest departure day at $717 return on average, while Tuesday is the most expensive at $951, a difference of $234. KAYAK's flexible dates feature shows options up to 3 days before and after your selected dates, making it easier to compare nearby fares.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Darwin to Cairns flights, with 100% leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 0%, Evening flights for 0%, and Night flights for 0%.

Some of the most popular sights in Cairns are Cairns Convention Centre, Reef Hotel Casino, and Cairns Regional Gallery. These are among the most viewed places in Cairns on KAYAK.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Darwin to Cairns:

• Earliest: departs at 07:00 and lands at 09:33
• Latest: departs at 17:35 and lands at 20:08.

The flight takes about 2h 33m.

A direct flight from Darwin to Cairns takes 2h 33m, covering 2,694 km.

No. A passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, return flight prices on this route showed a wide range, from about $692 to $2,767. That means the highest observed fare was about 4x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Darwin to Cairns are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $373, which is 8% below the typical average for this route.

Flying via Nhulunbuy Gove (GOV) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time of 3h 31m, compared to 9h 49m via Brisbane (BNE) and 11h 17m via Melbourne (MEL).

Cairns Airport (CNS) hosts 5 major car hire companies, with daily rates starting from around $18 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Bargain Car Rentals
• East Coast Car Rentals
• Simba Car Hire
• Ace Rental Cars
• Budget

Return flights from Darwin to Cairns range from $688 to $853, with an average of $749 over the past 12 months. Anything below $688 counts as a good deal.