AirportMiles

Cairns (CNS) – Melbourne (MEL)

Flights on GoogleSkyscanner
Distance, flight time and the airlines that fly it, from open data.
Distance
2,306 km
1,433 mi · 1,245 nm
Flight time
3 h 30 min
Estimate from distance
Time difference
1 h / none
January / July
CO2 per passenger
291 kg
One way, economy, incl. RF (172 kg CO2 only)
Passengers / year
858,728
May 2025 – Apr 2026 · +2.9%
Flights / week
100
Both directions, average
Seats filled
86%
993,509 seats a year
Airlines nonstop
—
Not named in this source

Traffic: BITRE (Australia), domestic airline activity by city pair, May 2025 – Apr 2026. BITRE reports cities, not airports: the Melbourne figures can include Avalon (AVV). Distance: WGS-84 ellipsoid. CO2: UK DESNZ 2026 factors. Sources

Great circle from CNS to MELCNSMEL
Shortest path over the earth's surface (great circle). Real flights bend around weather, winds and airspace.

The way there

Heading from CNS
182°
Heading from MEL
2°
Halfway point
-27.28, 145.34
Great-circle km
2,314 km (sphere, for EU261)
Clocks
1 h in January, none in July

The estimate for a route without real times is 3 h 30 min; how it is worked out is on Sources.

Passengers per month, both directions (May 2025 – Apr 2026)Busiest: July 2025: 93,195 passengers
050K100KMayJunJul93.2KAugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarApr
Show as a table
Month Passengers
May 202563,233
Jun 202574,355
Jul 202593,195
Aug 202581,476
Sep 202590,006
Oct 202584,634
Nov 202566,789
Dec 202568,626
Jan 202666,826
Feb 202645,815
Mar 202651,818
Apr 202671,955
Flights per month, both directions (May 2025 – Apr 2026)Busiest: July 2025: 534 flights
0200400600MayJunJul534AugSepOctNovDecJanFebMarApr
Show as a table
Month Flights
May 2025379
Jun 2025437
Jul 2025534
Aug 2025444
Sep 2025533
Oct 2025489
Nov 2025401
Dec 2025437
Jan 2026432
Feb 2026288
Mar 2026340
Apr 2026479

Delay compensation (EU261 / UK261)

Measured by great-circle distance: 2,314 km.

Neither EU261 nor UK261 covers this route: it neither starts nor ends in the EU, EEA, Switzerland or the UK. Other countries have their own rules (for example Canada's APPR or Brazil's ANAC rules).

Also owed for a cancellation with less than 14 days' notice or denied boarding. Not owed for extraordinary circumstances. On a connection, the distance to the final destination counts. From 23 October 2027 the EU's Regulation 2026/2202 applies; it keeps these amounts (what changes in 2027). Information, not legal advice.

Every airport pair between Cairns and Melbourne

MELMEBMBWAVV
CNS2,3062,3122,3392,348

Kilometres. Linked numbers have a page of their own. All Melbourne airports

More routes from CNS

Route Distance Passengers / year
CNS → BNE1,389 km 1,305,346
CNS → SYD1,967 km 916,051
CNS → KIX5,786 km 123,814
CNS → SIN5,007 km 104,280
CNS → DPS3,435 km 75,750
CNS → POM838 km 42,783
CNS → CHC3,883 km 41,152
CNS → AKL3,619 km 34,536
CNS → NAN3,366 km 27,720
CNS → HKG5,552 km 14,051

More routes from MEL

Route Distance Passengers / year
MEL → SYD706 km 8,091,178
MEL → BNE1,379 km 3,691,322
MEL → ADL642 km 2,409,362
MEL → OOL1,328 km 2,216,157
MEL → PER2,706 km 2,113,102
MEL → SIN6,024 km 1,739,044
MEL → HBA617 km 1,457,845
MEL → DPS4,376 km 1,146,291
MEL → AKL2,643 km 1,091,173
MEL → CBR470 km 967,607

Questions

Cairns (CNS) and Melbourne (MEL) are 2,306 km (1,433 miles, 1,245 nautical miles) apart, measured along the shortest path over the earth's surface.