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FlightsFrom Cairns

To Darwin

Cheap Flights from Cairns to Darwin

Browse current best options from Cairns. Become a member to unlock all deals and get alerts when new deals appear.

Deals from

Cairns

RatePunk searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Darwin

Prices updated 24 days ago

486,190 searches this week

171 airlines compared

80%+ AI score for best value

Fares are subject to change and may not be available for all dates. (Data last updated May 29, 2026.)

Today’s best flight deals from Cairns to Darwin

Explore current cheapest deals departing from Cairns to Darwin

October 24 - October 27

Cheapest
Earliest

CNS - Darwin

$278

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 16

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$326

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 17

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$326

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 18

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$327

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 19

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$328

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 20

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$330

$365

Round trip

November 15 - November 21

Cheapest

CNS - Darwin

$323

$365

Round trip

December 1 - December 8

Best

CNS - Darwin

$333

$366

Round trip

October 31 - November 29

CNS - Darwin

$267

$367

Round trip

November 3 - November 29

CNS - Darwin

$304

$367

Round trip

Unlock all 500+ flight deals to Darwin and get alerts when great deals appear

Route Intelligence — 486,190 Searches this Week

Insights for flights from Cairns to Darwin

Only 1% of recent fares for flights from Cairns to Darwin were classified as a good price. Right now, fares to Darwin are typically $330–$728, with a median of $447. Current fares are below the typical level, suggesting a potentially opportune time to consider booking. New deals appear almost daily for this route, so travelers have frequent opportunities to find competitive prices.
For those seeking cheap flights from Cairns to Darwin, the most affordable times to fly are typically January, with a median fare of $179, followed by February and December, both with median fares of $293. Planning your trip during these months could result in significant savings compared to the overall median fare.
A typical journey from Cairns to Darwin takes about 10h 0m including connections. This route is characterized by a high proportion of connecting itineraries, as most itineraries connect at least once. Only 29.4% of recent fares were for direct flights from Cairns to Darwin, indicating that travelers should generally expect to include a stopover.
The distance between Cairns and Darwin is 1674 kilometers, classifying this route as a medium-haul flight. This distance typically involves a longer travel time, especially when considering the prevalence of connecting flights on this route.

How much is a round trip from Cairns to Darwin

Regular price: $230 - $481

Prices for flights from Cairns to Darwin are currently within the regular range.

The regular price range for this route is between 230 USD and 481 USD. The current lowest deal is 365 USD with QantasLink. This price is for travel from Oct 24 to Oct 27.

now $365

Low $230

High $481

The cheapest time to fly from Cairns to Darwin

Flights from Cairns to Darwin are cheapest in January, with a median price of $179. The most expensive month to fly is June, with a median price of $1006. Prices are generally lower from January to December.

January

Cheapest

Flights from $179

June

Most Expensive

Flights from $1,006

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Direct flights from Cairns to Darwin

Airline logo

QantasLink

Last-minute flights going from Cairns to Darwin

Thu, Sep 3

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

Jetstar

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

Jetstar

$488

$450

One-way

Thu, Sep 3

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

Jetstar

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

Jetstar

$478

$454

One-way

Thu, Sep 3

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

QantasLink

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

QantasLink

$478

$465

One-way

Wed, Sep 16

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

Jetstar

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

Jetstar

$480

$479

One-way

Fri, Sep 18

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

QantasLink

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

QantasLink

$487

$427

One-way

Wed, Oct 14

⌛ Last-Minute

CNS - Darwin

QantasLink

Cairns (CNS) - Darwin (DRW)

QantasLink

$280

$367

One-way

Biggest price drops on these dates for flights from Cairns to Darwin

2 nights

Sep 18 - Sep 20

$487  →  $427

12%

5 nights

Sep 3 - Sep 8

$488  →  $450

8%

6 nights

Sep 3 - Sep 9

$478  →  $454

5%

7 nights

Sep 3 - Sep 10

$478  →  $465

3%

Popular Airports to fly from Cairns to Darwin

Cairns - Darwin route insights

💸 Price insights

Recent fares below the typical level

Recent fares from Cairns to Darwin are below the typical level at $365.

📅 Best time to fly

January is historically cheapest at $179

Historically, January is the cheapest month to fly from Cairns to Darwin, with a median price of $179.

⏱️ Flight duration

Median flight time is 10h 0m

The median flight time from Cairns to Darwin is 10 hours, including layovers.

✈️ Airlines & availability

Connecting flights are dominant

Connecting flights make up 70.6% of deals, with a median of 1 stopover.

🏆 Airline highlight

QantasLink offers direct flights

QantasLink is one of the airlines that offers direct flights on this route.

🎯 Booking tip

Deals are frequent for this route

Historically, deals for flights from Cairns to Darwin are frequent, with 1.03 deals per day.

Cairns main airports to depart from

Cairns (CNS)

Cheapest

Cairns Airport is a convenient departure point for flights to Darwin.

📍 ~5 km from Cairns (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$365

Darwin main airports to arrive at

Darwin International (DRW)

Cheapest

Darwin International Airport is the primary gateway to Darwin, offering convenient access for your trip.

📍 ~10 km from city center (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$365

Airports nearby Darwin used as alternative

RAAF Base Tindal (KTR)

Consider RAAF Base Tindal for direct road access to the Big Rivers region, though flights are fewer.

📍 ~270 km from Darwin (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$1150

East Kimberley Regional (KNX)

Cheapest

East Kimberley Regional is a major hub for Western Australia, offering an alternative arrival point.

📍 ~520 km from Darwin (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$713

Gove (GOV)

Gove offers an alternative for reaching remote Arnhem Land, but road access is challenging.

📍 ~480 km from Darwin (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$743

Presidente Nicolau Lobato International (DIL)

Presidente Nicolau Lobato International is the nearest international gateway to Southeast Asia.

📍 ~600 km from Darwin (requires international travel)

💸 Flights from ~$895

Maningrida (MNG)

Maningrida is a regional alternative for local travel within the Northern Territory.

📍 ~260 km from Darwin (reachable by car)

💸 Flights from ~$1107

Business & First Class Flight Deals to Darwin

Discover luxury on the budget with premium cabin class on flights from Cairns to Darwin.

Elite

Best Elite deals to Darwin

Exclusive daily First Class, Business Class, and Premium Economy flight deals, refreshed every 24 hours.

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,221

$1,027

Save $194

From CNS

Elite

Oct 13

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,238

$1,027

Save $211

From CNS

Elite

Oct 02

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,212

$1,027

Save $185

From CNS

Elite

Oct 18

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,256

$1,027

Save $229

From CNS

Elite

Oct 17

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,259

$1,027

Save $232

From CNS

Elite

Oct 12

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,238

$1,027

Save $211

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,184

$1,027

Save $157

From CNS

Elite

Oct 14

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,240

$1,027

Save $213

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,206

$1,027

Save $179

From CNS

Elite

Oct 10

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,242

$1,027

Save $215

From CNS

Elite

Oct 10

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,249

$1,047

Save $202

From CNS

Elite

Aug 29

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,229

$1,053

Save $176

From CNS

Elite

Aug 19

Darwin, Australia

69% AI deal score

$1,220

$1,053

Save $167

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,111

$1,024

Save $87

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,144

$1,027

Save $117

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,111

$1,027

Save $84

From CNS

Elite

Aug 14

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,152

$1,027

Save $125

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,140

$1,027

Save $113

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,118

$1,027

Save $91

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,111

$1,027

Save $84

From CNS

Elite

Sep 29

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,121

$1,027

Save $94

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,111

$1,027

Save $84

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,123

$1,027

Save $96

From CNS

Elite

Aug 21

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,116

$1,027

Save $89

From CNS

Elite

Sep 26

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,122

$1,027

Save $95

From CNS

Elite

Aug 07

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,127

$1,027

Save $100

From CNS

Elite

Aug 25

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,151

$1,047

Save $104

From CNS

Elite

Aug 19

Darwin, Australia

68% AI deal score

$1,184

$1,073

Save $111

From CNS

Elite

Sep 21

Darwin, Australia

67% AI deal score

$1,080

$1,027

Save $53

From CNS

Elite

Sep 01

Darwin, Australia

67% AI deal score

$1,099

$1,042

Save $57

From CNS

Elite

Sep 18

Darwin, Australia

67% AI deal score

$1,099

$1,047

Save $52

From CNS

Elite

Jul 26

Darwin, Australia

66% AI deal score

$1,027

From CNS

Elite

Jul 24

Darwin, Australia

66% AI deal score

$1,027

From CNS

Elite

Jul 27

Darwin, Australia

66% AI deal score

$1,027

From CNS

Elite

Sep 18

Darwin, Australia

66% AI deal score

$1,068

$1,047

Save $21

From CNS

Elite

Sep 18

Darwin, Australia

66% AI deal score

$1,071

$1,047

Save $24

From CNS

Elite

Jul 31

Darwin, Australia

48% AI deal score

$1,568

From CNS

Elite

Jun 21

Darwin, Australia

47% AI deal score

$1,945

From CNS

Elite

Jun 20

Darwin, Australia

47% AI deal score

$1,952

From CNS

Elite

Jun 21

Darwin, Australia

46% AI deal score

$1,978

Frequently Asked Questions About Flights to Darwin

Historically, the optimal booking window for flights from Cairns to Darwin is typically 14-27 days before departure. During this period, the average price was $357. Booking 7-13 days out also offered a relatively good average price of $365. Prices tend to be significantly higher for bookings made 28-59 days out, averaging $748, and for those made 60+ days in advance, where the average price was $701.

Across the trailing quarter, a good price for a flight from Cairns to Darwin was considered to be $330 or less. The median price for this route was $447. Approximately 25% of all observed prices were at or below $330, while 75% of prices were at or below $728. These figures provide a useful benchmark for travelers seeking value on this route.

Historically, the cheapest months to fly from Cairns to Darwin have been January, February, and December. January typically sees a median price of $179, while both February and December have a median price of $293. The annual median price for this route is $447, indicating that these months offer significant savings compared to the yearly average.

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